Haunted
by CrimsonBirdhouse
Summary: AU InuKag After hundreds of years trapped in an urn, the poltergiest Inuyasha finds new life when the Higurashis move into his house. Unfortunately, he is not the only thing that wakes... COMPLETE
1. Default Chapter

AN: REVAMPED! YEAH!

Now, I know I said that I'd do this after I finished writing the story, but it was bugging me 'cause of this chapter being so dinky and short. (I was kinda pissed when I coughed it up 'cause I deleted the whole thing the first time. WHOLE thing, right after I finished typing it…) So here it is again, new and improved! (Actually I practically deleted the whole thing and just redid it… heh heh… not really, though. I just added and changed a ton of stuff and got ride of a lot more.)

And chapter fifteen's giving me hell at the moment. I have no idea where the story's going at the moment… icky.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Haunted

Chapter One: Beginning Anew

"Bye!" Kagome waved to her friends, Yuka and Eri, before getting in the car and closing the door after her. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" She grinned a lot more cheerfully than she felt. She didn't want to leave….

"Promise, 'kay?" Eri confirmed with a wry smile. "Hope your car ride's not too bad!" She added with a rueful grin. "Your cat's gonna start stinking," she added with a small giggle. Yuka nodded in agreement.

"Do you know how long the trip's going to be?" She asked her friend. Kagome shrugged and turned to her mother in the front seat, peering across the imposing stack of boxes parked between Kagome and her brother.

"How long are we gonna be in the car?" She asked cautiously. Mrs. Higurashi turned in the front seat as she finished rearranging the baggage in the front of the rental car.

"I think the drive's about four hours," she admitted. "But that's not to long." Kagome sighed in disappointment. It was so far… and she hadn't even seen the house before! Only the older woman had gone to inspect the house, while Kagome and Souta had stayed with some relatives.

"Oh…" the black-haired girl sighed with disappointment. "Well, I guess we're going now." She said to the two others who nodded grimly.

"Hope the drive's not too bad!" They called after her as the car started down the street. Kagome rolled down the window and waved. The two of them waved back until the car disappeared into the traffic that permeated Tokyo. It would probably take half an hour just to get out of the city by itself, let alone the drive to Maebashi.

"Poor Kagome," Yuka said to Eri as they walked back down the street. "She's gonna have to start all over again."

The other girl nodded sympathetically. "Yeah. I wonder why they didn't just rent a house here in Tokyo somewhere?" She mused as they crossed the street, just narrowly avoiding a reckless driver.

"Hey!" Yuka yelled at the offending car indignantly. She turned back to her equally irate friend. "If he'd been going just a bit faster, or if we were walking just a bit slower…" She trailed off and let Eri make her own assumptions.

"Yeah," the other girl nodded. "Some people just have no consideration for others." She added huffily. "What a jerk." Yuka nodded in agreement and changed the subject again.

"I wonder what their house will be like…" She wondered. "I mean, I got the impression from Mrs. Higurashi that they were moving into a really big house." She shrugged and maneuvered around a large crowd of laughing high school students.

"Really?" Eri asked in surprise. "In Maebashi?" She asked. The other girl shook her head in the negative.

"In the middle of nowhere…" She trailed off and the two of them exchanged a miserable look. They stopped at a corner light to wait for the traffic signal to change.

"Oh, poor Kagome," Eri sighed with sympathy. The light changed and the two schoolgirls crossed the street.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

A lone car whizzed down along an endless country road, the heat shimmering upon the pavement beneath the glaring summer sun. Untended withered grass waved slightly in a gently in an unbearably hot breeze and a black-haired head stuck itself out of the window of the car, long hair whipped back and forth by a muggy wind.

"274, 275, 276, 277…" Kagome brought her head back through the window to glare resentfully at her younger brother as he counted the relentless line of weathered telephone poles as they whizzed by in an even line.

"Souta!..." Kagome ground her teeth and stared at the younger sibling on the other side of a formidable pile of baggage. "Shut UP!" The younger Higurashi turned to look at her indifferently before continuing to count the telephone poles as they went by.

"290, 291, 292, 293, 294, 295, 296, 297…" He droned on as he stared out of the window. Beneath his feet in a large basket, an obese feline that went by the name Buyo mewed mournfully. The smell of baked cat permeated the air and the raven-haired girl stuck her head back out of the window with a sigh.

"Ugh…" Kagome muttered to herself, brown eyes squinted against the muggy wind. Her fingers gripped the fabric on the car door as she heaved a sigh of relief, In comparison to the stifling smell that Buyo was emitting, the warm air was a big improvement.

"Kagome, put your head back in the window," her grandfather instructed from the seat in front of her. Mr. Higurashi waved a piece of paper in his face in a futile attempt to keep cool. "Don't you know that's dangerous?" He reprimanded and wiped a sleeve across his brow.

"Oh, let her be, Dad." Kagome's mother said from the driver's seat as she kept her eyes on the road. The senior sighed and shifted in his seat, plastic bags rustling around his feet. The car was filled with the Higurashi's possessions; boxes were stacked between Kagome and her brother, bags were stuffed beneath their feet, and the heat was unbearable.

Kagome closed her eyes with a growing feeling of misery welling up inside her. "I miss Tokyo already…" She leaned back in the seat, her jet-black hair sticking to the back of her neck. The tall stack of boxes next to her shook and rattled ominously as the rental car came across some uneven pavement.

"310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316…" There was another large bump and the boxes collapsed on the gloomy teen. "323, 324, 325, 326, 327, 328…" Souta stared out of the window with a gloomy expression on his face. "332, 333, 334, 335, 336, 337…"

Frankly, Kagome wasn't sure if she was going to last the next two hours.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

When most people thought of haunted houses, they immediately pictured large, rundown estates in the middle of the country.

And in the case of "The House on Priestess Lane", as it was known by the few locals, they were absolutely correct. The house was indeed haunted, albeit infrequently. The resident poltergeist only woke up once in a while, maybe once every few months. When he did wake up, however, he normally wandered about the weedy garden or brood in his shed.

This time, it was different. There was something different when he woke up this time, something…missing. With a small wisp of pearly grey smoke, the resident poltergeist of "The House" summoned up the energy to leave his urn where he like to sleep and drift slowly towards the house, a vague frown creasing his face.

What was missing? Ah, yes. There was no sound. The house was empty. The poltergeist moved towards the house indifferently. "The House" was like that, though. It had an atmosphere to it, one of quiet loneliness, emptiness, exhaustion. The house was exhausted, ancient.

"We make quite a pair," the poltergeist remarked dryly to the white walls and pale wooden floors. His comment echoed through the empty room. He snorted derisively and floated through the wall and into the kitchen. The kitchen, equally empty as the last room, was permeated with stillness, the cool white walls surrounding him blandly.

Feeling slightly uneasy –he wasn't sure why, though- the poltergeist moved through the wall again, and then another with a growing weariness that sank right through his core, that is, if he had one.

Giving in to the total exhaustion, the poltergeist drifted back through the unkempt lawn, spectral grey toes swishing through the long withered grass that grew in abundance around the property. The poltergeist passed by a large old tree that towered above him and cast its long shadow upon the dead vegetation.

Using a small bit of his remaining energy –why was he always so tired? He didn't care, really- he narrowly avoided the battered and weatherworn grave marker that was placed sturdily in the ground downhill from the tree. The grave marker was yet another mystery in his existence; it disturbed him for some reason.

Floating down the ravine to the old shed where his urn sat, the poltergeist took one look back at the old house through the heavily wooded property edge. It stood alone, the roof just beginning to sag and the dull, monotonous outer coat of paint was grey. It matched his spectral skin. The yellow, dried grass withered in the glaring sun added to the weary, ancient and depressed look about it. The poltergeist turned away abruptly and continued down the ravine, intent on sleeping for another few months.

He had more in common with the miserable building than he'd liked to admit.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

Souta rubbed his eyes wearily and blinked. Letting out a humongous yawn, the black-haired boy finally woke up completely from the sleep born of exhaustion and boredom that he'd been wrapped up in. He blinked again, this time in incredulity. "Where are we?" He asked Mrs. Higurashi, who was just getting out of the car.

"This is where we're going to live," Mrs. Higurashi said with a little more enthusiasm than necessary. For a moment, there was dead silence. A soft breeze murmured quietly through the trees surrounding the extensive property, the dried grass waving limply, expectantly as the sun glowed with the dying orange light of sunset.

"WHAT!" Souta and Kagome howled at the same time. A paper bag dropped from Kagome's shock-numbed fingers. Souta stared at his mother, his mouth partially opened in surprise. "NO WAY!" They screeched in unison. A flock of birds twittered and flitted away from their perches among the copse of trees in the back of the property.

"Keep your voices down!" Mrs. Higurashi said sharply with a frown. She turned her head furtively towards the nearest house. "Do you want the neighbors to hear all your complaining?" She moved to the back of the rental car –they hadn't needed one in Tokyo; everyone took the subway- and opened the trunk to pull out some of the baggage.

"What neighbors?" Souta demanded. There's no one around here for miles! We're in the MIDDLE **OF NOWHERE!**" His voice rose in volume with his outrage. "You didn't tell us that we'd be staying in the middle of nowhere! You said Maebashi, and I thought you mean IN Maebashi, not fifty miles away!" He glared at his mother resentfully.

"Hush, Souta." Mrs. Higurashi scolded. "We're much closer than that. It's only a few miles away." She pulled out a large bag and put it on the gravel driveway with a crunch.

"Souta's right." Kagome said flatly, more miserable than angry. "We're in the middle of nowhere, living in a rundown house! I told Ayumi, Yuka and Eri I'd stay in touch! With conditions like this, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't have a phone! Or even electricity!"

"Kagome, that's enough." Mrs. Higurashi's voice was beginning to have a little bit of an edge to it. "Now, both of you! Just give it a chance, have an open mind!" She allowed herself a small smile and breathed deeply. "Try to enjoy your time here."

The two siblings shared a mutinous glance, both of them resolving to be absolutely miserable. "There's nothing here to enjoy," Souta growled to himself so that his mother couldn't here. "There's nothing here in the first place!"

"Now, could you two help me unpack?" The older woman dumped another box on the ground. "Take these up to the door." With a weary sigh, Kagome heaved a large box up the walk, gravel crunching under her sandals as she went.

"Mom, we need the keys!" Kagome called as she set her box down. She traveled back down the gravel walk, passing a particularly foul-tempered Souta as she went. "We need the keys." She repeated to her mother, who was lifting a particularly heavy box. She set it down with a sigh.

"Here." She dug into her pocket and produced a small copper key labeled, "house". "There you go." She handed her daughter another box along with the key. "Don't lose it!" Kagome rolled her eyes, still feeling upset with her mother. How would she lose the key by walking up the drive?

The raven-haired girl set down the heavy box with a thump and fiddled with the key and the lock for a moment. The door was slightly heavy and Kagome had to push it a bit more than usual to open it. It relented with a weary creak.

The entryway was illuminated by the bright afternoon glare of the sun through the window and as Kagome stepped inside, the curiously pale wood flooring creaked slightly. She stepped out of the entryway and into a large empty room, probably the living room. "Kagome!" Her mother called from the car. "I still need your help! You and Souta can explore after we unload this car!" Kagome sighed in disappointment and returned to the car to help the others unpack. Just because she wasn't very happy about moving didn't mean that she wasn't curious about the house.

Half an hour later, the four of them had removed all of their boxes and had them stacked haphazardly in the small entryway. "Well…" Kagome's grandpa, Mrs. Higurashi's father, dusted off his hands and sat down one of the larger boxes with a sigh. "Now that that's done…" He trailed off as Kagome and Souta trotted off to explore the house. Buyo meowed pathetically by his fee, still shut up in his carrier. Leaning down heavily –he wasn't quite as spry as he wished he was- the senior fumbled with the latch and let the obese feline out of his cage.

Although it was obviously old, the house was had a cool, clean feeling to it. But there was something else, Kagome realized. There was a sadness, weariness. The house was so big and empty. The raven-haired looked around in bemusement as Souta scrambled up the nearest staircase eagerly. The walls were recently whitewashed and the floor, though old, was clean and pale.

But, the two siblings took no notice of this as they curiously explored the house in search of anything interesting. Doors banged shut and hurried footsteps echoed in the empty estate, exclamations of surprise conveying excitement over some of the oddities. "Oh! Hey, Kagome! Look at this!" Souta yelled from a distant end of the house.

"Coming!" She called and made her was slowly to him, examining other rooms on the way there. So far, she'd counted three really small closets, two bathrooms, three master bedrooms and one room with seemingly no purpose.

"Hurry up, Kagome!" Souta called impatiently. "You gotta see this!" She could hear his foot tapping on the floor as he waited for her. "Come ON, hurry up!" He said again. He could hear the floorboards creaking overhead as she walked down the hall towards him.

"Yeah?" She turned the corner and came down a flight of stairs to the first floor. Souta opened a pair of double doors with flourish. The room was big, with a high ceiling and whitewashed wall, like the rest of the rooms. The cream-colored curtains were drawn, and the room was brightly lit by two large windows that faced the messy garden.

"Presenting… uh… the ballroom!" Souta exclaimed grandly. "It **is **a ballroom, right?", he asked uncertainly. "I mean, it's big enough…" He trailed off as Kagome eagerly stepped over the miscellaneous towards the window. Dust swirled through the air as she brushed by an old coat rack. The room was ancient and had not been occupied in years, that much was obvious. Her fingers quickly found the latches on the large windows and pried them open, letting fresh air enter with a cool evening breeze.

"Wow…" She breathed in awe. The yard really wasn't such a great sight, and Souta snorted at his sister's antics. Everything was withered, dried and dead overgrowth that cluttered up the large space. Souta glanced out the large windows again to see what was so wonderful to his older sibling.

"Well, I'm gonna go explore some more…" He shook his head when Kagome didn't reply and trotted off, leaving his entranced sister staring at the yard. He didn't see what was so special…

Kagome stepped away from the window and stared up at the high almost archaic ceiling. Although the garden wasn't much of a sight, it was just all so big. The yard was huge, stretching out to a size that would fit their old home, the shrine, easily on just the weedy grass. She looked up at the ceiling. The ballroom was undoubtedly western-influenced, with the old, dusty bookshelf that covered one wall. There were wooden boards and some carpentry tools lying around, almost as if someone had been in the process of making something and left.

"Kagome!" Her mothers voice echoed distantly from the other end of the house. "Dinner!" Kagome shrugged and followed the same path that Souta had a few moments before, suddenly realizing with a start that it had been getting darker. She didn't notice as she left the room that two pale eyes watched her every move warily, angrily, like a predator stalking it's prey.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

Kagome picked idly on the food on her plate. "Not hungry?" Mrs. Higurashi guessed as she watched her daughter across the table. Kagome nodded in the affirmative. The meal resumed in silence.

Souta was still in a foul mood over their living situation and mulishly refused to talk at all. Mr. Higurashi had found some old scrolls in an old room and was reading them as he ate. The bright fluorescent lights overhead flickered slightly, then steadied. Souta's chopsticks clicked quietly as he tapped them against his plate, an upset frown on his face. Being in a foul mood was no fun unless others noticed.

"Would you stop tapping, Souta?" Kagome asked finally, glaring at her younger sibling. The black-haired boy shot her an irate glance and continued the infuriating noise. "Ugh." She said flatly and put her plate in the kitchen sink before stalking into the living room.

The black-haired girl flopped down on the couch, which the movers had brought in the week before. She looked at the plain white wall in front of her and sighed. They hadn't installed the TV yet, or the telephone.

There was a crashing sound in the kitchen as Souta dumped his plate in the sink. "Souta! Be gentle!" Mrs. Higurashi admonished with indignation. "What's gotten into you?" Even someone as kind and forgiving as Mrs. Higurashi had her limits.

The black-haired boy snorted and collapsed on the beige rug on the living room floor by Kagome's feet. Tucking his arms under his chin, he stared pointedly at the wall and sighed. "How boring is this?" He asked loudly so that the others in the kitchen could hear. Kagome rolled her eyes at his immaturity. When he wanted to be, Souta could be incredibly rude and annoying.

"So boring…" He mumbled and flipped onto his back. He stared at the ceiling for a moment before repeating his earlier statement. "So boring…." He sighed and Kagome shot him an irritated glance. "So…so… so… bored…!" Kagome threw a cushion off the couch at him. "Hey!" Souta protested. "What was that for?"

Kagome merely shook her head and headed towards the staircase. She'd chosen her room; all she needed was to put the rest of her stuff in it. Rummaging through the boxes, she selected a few of her own and carried them in a stack up the stairs, careful of her footing.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

The dark interior of the room was silent. Then, something stirred, cautiously, grey eyes peering out warily upon the room. A futon was laid down on the floor and a bureau had been moved in that afternoon. The slit-pupiled grey eyes could make out a few still-packed boxes stacked in the corner. They blinked slowly and faded into nothing as footsteps sounded against the wooden floor of the hallway.

The door creaked open and Kagome turned on the light. She put down a large cardboard box labeled with her name on the neat pile and flicked off the light, closing the door after her.

The bright grey eyes blinked back into life, malevolent intention glowing with promise in the slit-pupiled orbs that looked around the room again.

Kagome shuddered in spite of herself. For a moment she could've sworn that there was someone else there in her room, but that was ridiculous. There had been a chill to the room when she went it. She shook her head and headed towards the kitchen. Turning the corner and walking down the stairs, she took one glance behind her and started in surprise. Her door was open a bit…

She laughed nervously. That was a bit weird, admittedly. The door was probably just like that, though. "Oh, this is ridiculous," she grumbled to herself and hurried back up the stairs. She had no reason to be afraid of a door. That was just stupid. She tromped purposefully forward, her sock-clad feet padding softly against the wooden floor, and grabbed the doorknob. With a decisive thump, the door clicked shut. She let go of the handle and watched skeptically to see if it opened again. It did. The black-haired girl sighed. She was right, it was only the door. She pulled it shut again, making sure that it clicked into the lock and walked away.

Nothing to fear. "Hey, Kagome!" Souta's voice rang out cheerfully. It was hard to stay in a miserable when no one acknowledged it, and Souta had finally given up. "Wanna play a game?" Kagome's feet thumped against the stairs as she hurried into the kitchen.

"What game?" She asked and sat down at the table with the rest of her family. Souta shuffled a deck of cards inexpertly a few times and set the worn deck down.

"What about BS?" He asked and looked around the table hopefully. Mr. Higurashi was reading the scroll that he'd found; unaware of what was going on. "We have enough people." He added.

Kagome shrugged. "Fine with me." Souta began passing out cards to himself, Kagome and his mother. Mr. Higurashi didn't like card games, particularly and was much to absorbed in his reading anyway.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Soon…" A voice breathed in the darkness. "The time comes." The black-haired woman shook as if to get the voice out. "I'm sure that you're prepared?"

The woman nodded in affirmative. "I'm getting there." She said defiantly. The voice echoed in her mind softly, dangerously, like black silk.

"No mistakes, or it will be your life. You've been getting careless of late. I will not permit mistakes, not for this." There was a deadly promise behind the voice's words, one that she knew he wouldn't hesitate to enact. "Everything must go according to plan. Do you understand?"

"Of course." Her words were sharp, just short of nasty. "I won't mess up." She promised grudgingly and walked out of the dark tunnel and into the moonlight, the wind whispering softly around her as it stirred the grass beneath her feet.

"I wouldn't, if I were you," The voice warned softly as it faded from her perception. She was getting out of range of his influence. "I won't permit mistakes, not this time." She almost snorted. He never permitted mistakes, not now, not fifty years ago. And she didn't make mistakes.

"I know. And since when do I make mistakes?" She wondered aloud as she set off down the hill, the long grass brushing her ankles softly with a soft swishing sound. But perhaps she was getting too cocky. This time, things were different, more dangerous for her. "Besides the first one, that is," she added. The big one, the one that had her in the position that she was in now.

The wind called softly, cajolingly and tugged on her wavy black hair and clothes. It rushed through the trees and rustled the leaves, disturbing the silence and pushing small clouds across the dark sky. The black-haired woman smiled in spite of her bitter existence.

The wind…

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"B. S." Kagome crowed triumphantly. Souta sighed and glared daggers at his sister as he picked up the large stack of cards and put them in his hand. "Who's got more cards now?" She taunted.

"Kagome," Her mother warned. With a final glance at her younger sibling, the black-haired girl looked back down at her hand. "Two fives," she declared. Mrs. Higurashi looked through her hand and selected a few cards.

"Three sixes." She looked to Souta, who was still organizing his hand and moving cards around. "Souta?" The older woman asked. Her son looked up.

"Just a sec," he looked through his hand and grabbed a handful of cards. "Four sevens." Kagome nodded and looked through her diminishing number of cards.

"Ah, there it is." She selected a card. "One eight." She laid it down on the pile underneath Souta's skeptical gaze. "Mom, your turn." She turned to the older woman.

"Wait!" Souta interrupted and searched his cards. "I think that she's lying." Kagome sighed and waited. After a moment of rearranging his cards, Souta told his sister, "B.S."

Kagome scowled and picked up the pile, Souta grinning at her. "Hah, gotcha!" Mrs. Higurashi laid her cards down.

"Two nines."

"Oh, shut up Souta!" Kagome snapped. "At least I don't have as much as you!" Souta grinned and laid down his own cards.

"Three tens, but I know I've got the other one…" He looked to Kagome, the smug smile still on his face until his mother interrupted.

"I'm out." Kagome blinked in surprise and her younger brother looked crestfallen. Mrs. Higurashi got up from the table and went to the sink, intent on all the dirty dishes stacked there.

"Well," Kagome stacked the cards into a pile and left the table soon after, remembering all the stuff that she had to put in her room. She left the kitchen and walked through the living room to the entryway where all the boxes were stacked.

Rummaging through the pile, Kagome pulled out the boxes that were labeled as hers and set them aside to bring up the stairs. Picking up one of the heavier boxes, she dragged it up the stairs to her room and managed to open the door. She set the box down and suddenly noticed with a gasp that something was there. Kagome stepped back and screamed as frightened brown eyes clashed with grey.

AN: Well, I didn't make it that much longer, but it's better than the length it was before. I was actually hoping for twenty pages like the rest of it, but that was proved impossible, or at least too challenging for me to try to do it all now. Thanks for reading!

In case anyone is wondering, the weird sequence with unnamed characters will tie in later. (For those who've read the rest, I betcha know who they are.)


	2. Introductions

AN: guess who got Office for Mac! I did! Whee!

On another note, Hayao Miyazaki has made a film out of one of my favorite books, "Howl's Moving Castle" by Diana Wynne Jones! Yay! It came out on January 12, 2005 for France. I don't know about any other countries, but I'm assuming that the rest of us could be seeing it about the same time roughly. Saw a French preview, and it looks wonderful! (It's times like these in which I'm glad I take French. Hee hee!) And the soundtrack is by Joe Hisaishi! Yay! He does great music. This makes me very happy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or Kagome, or Miroku, or Shippo, or Sango, or Naraku, Kagura, Kikyo, Kanna, Entei, Totosai, Myouga, Jakotsu, Bankotsu, Juromaru, Sesshoumaru, Rin, Jaken, Kaede, Kohaku, Koharu, Kouga or anybody else!

Haunted

Chapter Two: Introductions

If anyone asked him what poltergeists did in their spare time, he would've shrugged. What was he supposed to do, anyway? All he did was wander around his domain, sleep and think, in a vague use of the word. In short, he had nothing to do, at all. Ever.

That warm Sunday afternoon found him idly floating in the air and speculating on the arrival of new people. With a lazy shrug, he watched the young boy run up the walk and into the house. The poltergeist wandered through the house, following the child's errant progress with his sensitive ears. Suddenly the boy stopped abruptly. "Oh! Hey, Kagome! Look at this!" Looks like the kid had discovered the ballroom in all it's faded glory. With a drawn-out sigh, he drifted to the floor and through it, emerging on the ceiling above the boy's head.

"Coming!" A light female voice called out above him. The poltergeist drifted through the wall and into the ballroom. He came to a stop on the large bookshelf and rested on top of it. Over the many years, he'd discovered that he could become slightly corporeal if he tried at it, but it was exhausting and required strong emotions, something that he rarely experienced now.

The boy had gotten impatient. "Hurry up, Kagome! You gotta see this!" The poltergeist could hear the kid's foot tapping anxiously on the floor as he waited for "Kagome". "Come ON, hurry up!" He snorted at the kid's impatience, and one of the poltergeist's ears twitched towards the creaking footsteps above as the said girl as she increased her pace.

"Yeah?" The girl called. A moment later, the tall double-doors opened. Standing in the large doorway was the little boy, and familiar face. A sudden burst of anger and hate shot through him. His fists clenched, nails digging into ghostly flesh as a low growl emanated from his throat. Waves of disorienting and painful emotion engulfed him; hate, fury, betrayal. Oh, but how he **hated** her! Pale grey eyes flashed as he watched her every move. A single phrase echoed through his mind, like some terrible mantra. "How dare she, how could she, how dare she, how could she…" He sat, stock still and tense for anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour, and when he finally moved, it was only to spit out a single word.

"Kikyo."

X

Looking back, he realized how completely and utterly ridiculous the whole charade had been. After his initial shock, the angry and upset poltergeist fled the big old room and rushed blindly towards his shed. Trees, bushes and the white walls of the house became one big blur and he fled blindly for his sanctuary, confused at his reaction, yet at the same time perversely… happy. He altered his flight path slightly, narrowly avoiding the old grave marker. Happy…? He furiously buried the strange notion under the waves of hurt as he hurled into the shed. His urn shook as he shot into it with a rattle.

There he stayed for several hours, unwilling to come out and trying to sort out everything that had happened. Slowly, painstakingly, memories began to surface slowly, memories from when he was truly alive. He shook his head furiously inside the urn. Not memories, precisely. Fragments of memories. The sun, warm on his skin. Damp earth, compact underneath his bare feet. He shook his head again. This was ridiculous. Nostalgia would get him nowhere. "Who was she? Who **is** she…?" He questioned his memories. But they had nothing more to offer.

X

And that was how he'd ended up in her room. He'd thought that by seeing her or her possessions, he would somehow wake his memory, and he would understand. And it was a perfect opportunity. The family was eating dinner, and all he had to do was float into her room and do a little investigating. But when he'd heard her footsteps, he'd panicked. Froze. Like a deer caught in the blinding headlights of a car. And she walked in, pushing a cardboard box wearily into the dark room. Her back was to him. "Escape! Escape!" Some small portion of his mind screamed. The rest had been inconveniently stuck in paralysis, as was his body. She turned on the light. If he had a pulse, blood would've been pounding in his ears. All he could hear was her breathing. And then, she turned. He flinched instinctively, but nothing could prepare him for the noise.

"IEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-" A thunderous screech erupted from her throat as she fell back against the wall. He'd probably never know how someone so small could make such a loud noise. It was deafening, powerful. It grated on his ears and immediately he clapped his hands over the sensitive organs.

Desperately he roared out, "SHUT UP!" Big mistake, apparently.

Regaining some of her sanity, the terrified girl babbled out, "BURGULAR! THEIF! RAPE! RAPE, **RAPEEIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**!" She cowered in obvious terror on the ground in front of him as if expecting an attack. He was about to open his mouth and scream back, but the noise was just too much.

And, to his utter embarrassment, he fled. But the noise followed him, chasing him through walls and furniture. It hounded him past a surprised cat and unobservant child as he raced for an exit. Suddenly, he burst out of the white walls and into the cool night air, gasping for breath that he didn't need or use. But what puzzled him the most was his reaction to her. Why didn't he run? What was keeping him there? Instead of getting answers, he'd just gotten more questions.

X

Never in her life could Kagome recount any instance in which she'd been more terrified. But not because a stranger was in her bedroom. Not because it was dark, and she was all alone. It wasn't even because he was mysteriously drained of color, almost as it had all been sucked out of him. It was because he was floating 3 or 4 feet off the ground. Naturally, she screamed.

…And kept screaming, until he'd fled through the wall, at which point she screamed even louder, even when her lungs where out of air, when she desperately needed air. The world narrowed to that one spot where he'd floated, shocked and almost afraid. A ghost. She'd had a run- in with a ghost. She stared hard at that spot in the air for a moment, and then even that faded from her perception. The blood- curdling scream died on her lips, and she relaxed against the wall in a faint.

"Kagome! Kagome!" Someone was tugging on her sleeve. "Kagome!" Souta made it sound as if she'd died, or something. Kagome squinted up at the bright light on the ceiling. Of course, if she her splitting headache was anything to go by, maybe she had. She sat up wearily, only to be knocked over immediately by her anxious younger sibling.

"Don't DO that!" He reprimanded through tears. "I thought you were DEAD!" His grip on her arm tightened, accentuating the last word he'd said.

Kagome frowned slightly as she remembered the cause of her panic attack. "Of course not."

"Well, you screamed out 'RAPE' several times," Her mother, equally worried kneeled next to her. "What happened?"

Kagome laughed nervously. "Oh, I just saw a weird shape. I'm fine, really." She smiled weakly. Mrs. Higurashi's otherwise smooth brow crinkled in a slight frown, but she accepted her daughter's excuse.

"Are you sure you're alright?" The older woman confirmed. "Just holler if you need anything." She stood up and moved towards the door. Souta clung to his sister's arm a moment longer before scrambling up and tugging on his mother's sleeve.

"Can I sleep with you?" He implored. "Kagome scared me." His mother patted him on the head.

"Of course, Souta." She smiled at her youngest child as they made their exit, Souta still clinging to her sleeve as if it was a lifeline.

"Like you need **me** to get scared." Kagome muttered darkly after them. With a remarkable show of good hearing, her little brother turned around and glowered at her. She rolled her eyes and waved him away.

She was just about to turn the lights off and try to sleep again when her grandfather burst in, wheezing slightly. "Kagome! What's wrong!" He gasped for breath. "I heard you scream!"

Kagome's smile was wry as she replied, "You're a little late, Grandpa." The senior looked at his granddaughter reproachfully. So that's where Souta got that look… "I got a little… lost." He admitted.

Kagome smiled slightly. "Pretty easy to do in the dark, isn't it?" She mused more to herself then her grandfather. "Why **do** we have such a big house, anyway?"

It was a rhetorical question, but Mr. Higurashi, having recovered his breath, replied, "Well, your mother thought that we could rent out some of the extra rooms. We're a bit short on money at the moment." He admitted. "After the fire, and all the traveling. We're going to need to buy a car while we're living here." The old man frowned in distaste. "Those guys said that the shrine should be repaired sometime next year."

Kagome sighed unhappily and the family's obese feline sauntered through the doorway. He sat heavily next to Kagome, and she rubbed his head absently. Not only was she going to be stuck in the middle of nowhere, far from her friends and anything remotely interesting, but there would also be a bunch of possibly strange people living with her.

Her grandfather interrupted Kagome's musings. "Are you alright, then?" He asked, suddenly remembering how he'd ended up so far away from his bedroom. "What happened?"

Kagome looked up at him and smiled slightly. "It was nothing. I thought that there was someone else here, but there wasn't." She didn't try to elaborate and describe the floating boy with long white hair who was drained of color. It was just too weird.

"Spirits…" The senior muttered darkly. "I'll set up some wards tomorrow." He decided. "Goodnight." He said abruptly to Kagome before wandering down the dark hall to his own room.

X

With a frustrated sigh, Kagome sat up on the futon, rubbing her eyes. It was no good. She couldn't sleep. Her eyes frantically scanned her dark room for the umpteenth time, searching for some sign of the ghost that had been in her room before. Nothing. She sighed again and fell against her pillow with a gentle "whumpf". Her mind kept playing the event over and over again, and it refused to let her sleep.

Kagome had never been one to believe in ghosts or aliens, but now she had her doubts. He was there. She was sure of it. She'd seen it with her own eyes. He'd even yelled at her before fleeing through the walls. Kagome winced slightly. He throat was sore from that scream, and she couldn't blame him for running away. It must've been awful on his ears.

His ears. That one puzzled her. In all the stories she'd read or heard of, ghosts were human spirits. They wandered around and sought vengeance on the person who'd murdered them, or whatever. The most definitely **did not** have little triangular dog ears on the tops of their heads. And unless they were really old, they normally didn't have white hair. But then again, what was normal for a ghost…? And what had he been doing in her room, anyway?

Kagome tossed and turned for the remainder of the night, her thoughts occupied by the strange ghost that appeared in her room.

X

Whoever she was, she was **definitely** not Kikyo. He didn't know how he knew this, only that he was sure. Kikyo was different, but how he knew was a mystery. The poltergeist snorted. Great, more questions and still no answers. Feeling slightly forlorn and more that a little confused, he wandered back in the general direction of his sanctuary to try and puzzle things out.

He slowly passed through the garden and down the hill, eyes flickering over the grave marker uneasily. Yet another mystery. The grave marker had always been unsettling for him. He couldn't stand the thought of touching it or even being near it. He didn't know why.

He entered the forest on the edge of the property and drifted down the slope towards the shed. He was going to spend several days in his urn, he decided, and then he'd get some answers.

X

Several days had gone by without a single speck of paranormal activity. Frankly, Kagome was disappointed. As she suspected, her "new home" was about as dull as sitting in a car for six hours straight with Souta had been. In other words, it was horribly boring to the point of agony. Souta's screams, injected at regular intervals through the otherwise silent house, were evidence of this.

"I'M! SO! **BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-**" The boy took a deep breath and continued. "-**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-**" and another one, "-**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORED!**" he finished from his seat on the floor in the living room. His flopped back down onto the floor again, spread-eagled in a patch of sunlight. "There's nothing to do…" He groaned. "I'm so bored… so… **BOOOOOOOOOOOOO-**"

Kagome clapped a hand against her brother's mouth. "Shut up." She said flatly. "Nobody cares."

Souta sat up and looked at her in disbelief. "How can you **not** be bored!" He asked her incredulously.

His sister rolled her eyes at him. "I **am** bored, stupid!" She shook her head. "But at least I'm gonna do something besides sit here all day." Souta looked at her questioningly. "I'm going for a walk." She said shortly.

Souta collapsed on the floor again and dug his fingers into the cream-colored carpet beneath him. Kagome made her way around her sloth-brother thing and to the back door that led to the garden where her mom was working. "Preparing for house guests," as she had put it. The door clicked behind her as she made her exit. Souta gingerly poked his arm. He winced and rolled out of the patch of light. Sunburn.

X

The day was hot. Just as it had been the day before, and the day before that. Probably the day before **that** day had been exactly the same. Kagome's thoughts wandered as her feet took her around their property. She had yet to properly explore and that was exactly what she was going to do. It wasn't like she had anything better to do…

She passed by her mother, crouching next to a persistent weed and tugging on it. Cicadas buzzed and the air smell of plants. The sun was becoming unbearable, and Kagome wandered towards the forest, idly speculating on whether or not it was a part of their property. "Did it matter?" She asked herself.

Stepping into the cool shade provided by the towering trees, Kagome sighed in relief. She'd only been out in the sun for about five minutes, but it was enough. As Souta had done a few minutes before, she delicately pressed on her arm and winced. Sunburned already.

She gingerly stepped over a fallen branch and carefully made her way through the underbrush and deeper into the forest. The air was warm and dust motes drifted through shafts of golden sunlight as she maneuvered through the forest. The dull drone of cicadas was a comfortable background noise to the crunching of leaves underneath her shoes. Looking up from her path, Kagome noticed a small shed not too far ahead. Altering her course slightly, she headed straight for it. She slid open the warped wooden door with difficulty and stepped inside.

The shed was obviously old and dimly lit, much older than the house. There were no windows and the walls were covered in shelves. Cautiously, Kagome stepped over some broken pottery and towards a shelf filled with curious objects. There was a lot of pottery in evidence. Kagome picked up an ancient large-bellied pot and dusted it off with her hands. Dust motes swirled in the air and she coughed, putting the ancient pottery back on the shelf and waving the dust aside. She picked up a curling and yellowed scrap of parchment. The brush marks had almost completely faded and it looked like an incomplete scroll. She put it back carefully. Something caught her eye, and she turned. There, sitting on a desk of sorts, was an urn. It was plain glazed earthenware with nothing particularly remarkable about it. The odd thing was that it was shiny and new in appearance, starkly contrasting everything else. Gingerly, she picked it up and grey smoke exploded from its lips.

X

Two days. Two days he'd sat, brooding and looking for an answer to his inexplicable emotions and fragmented memory. It hadn't helped in the slightest. Naturally, he was grumpy and irritable. So when someone picked up his urn, he instinctively popped out and furiously yelled out, "GO AWAY!"

It was her. The girl. She screamed again, nearly dropping his precious vessel. Hastily she put it back on the table and backed away. Abruptly she stopped. "Sorry!" She yelped, her back to the wall as her fingers frantically searched for the doorway through which she'd entered. "I'm so terribly sorry I didn't mean to disturb you sir please forgive me and I'll be on my way now bye!" She panicked and shot out of the door and crashed through the woods.

His poltergeist nature crowed in triumph and he couldn't repress the small smirk that had shown up on his face. It turned down into an irritated frown. "Serves her right." He huffed. "Meddling in other people's business…" He muttered and slid into his urn again, with no small feeling of relief.

It had been very close. She'd almost dropped his urn. Instinctively, he knew that his urn was to be protected. It was his… base, for lack of a better word. It was his support, his hold on life. A poor substitute for life, but better than death, he assumed. But then again, what did he know? He moved into a more comfortable position inside his urn and started to doze.

X

Well, if she wasn't convinced that ghosts were real, she most definitely was now. Kagome sat on the couch in the living room, running over her second encounter with "The Ghost", as she had labeled him. Now more than ever, she was determined to find out more about him. Souta tossed the tennis ball against the wall again, the incessant banging disrupting her thoughts. It wasn't like she had anything else to do…

The next day, against her better judgment, she headed back into the forest towards the shed. If she'd find him anywhere, she decided, he'd be in there. But did she really want to find him? What if he tried to kill her or something? "Curiosity killed the cat…" She murmured to herself. "Fortunately, I'm not a cat."

Kagome cautiously stepped over the broken pottery again and glanced furtively around the small shelter. Through the gloom, she could make out the same shelves, the same desk. The same urn that The Ghost had popped out from gleamed slightly on it. Maybe he wasn't a ghost, but a Genie. After all, it was genies and such that were supposed to live inside things like lamps and kettles. An urn wouldn't be too much different.

Hesitantly, she picked up the urn and rubbed it. That was what people did in the movies, and then they went on spectacular adventures. As she had suspected, grey smoke started to vent from the opening.

"I thought I told you to go away." A sour masculine voice echoed from the depths of the urn. "So why are you bothering me again?" It snarled, and out popped The Ghost, or was it Genie?

"Hi…" Kagome said awkwardly. She put the vessel down carefully on the desk and stepped back.

"Go away." The Ghost/ Genie replied curtly. He floated in the air, slightly transparent.

"Nice to meet you." Kagome smiled nervously at him. "I'm Kagome." This wasn't going as planned.

"Go away." He repeated flatly. He sat cross-legged in the air and tapped his long fingernails- they were more like claws than fingernails- against his knee impatiently.

She ignored his request and asked, "Are you a ghost?"

"No."

"Umm…" Kagome began hesitantly. "Then what are you?" She pushed her hair behind her ear, a nervous habit.

"Does it matter?" He asked impatiently. Bright grey eyes flashed in the gloom, and Kagome found herself backing away.

"Please tell me?" She asked timidly. She had a feeling that he was going to hurt her…

"I'm a poltergeist." He replied shortly. "A very angry poltergeist, and if you don't leave, I'm going to kill you." He lied blatantly. Poltergeists were mischief-makers. He was incapable of touching her, let alone killing her.

"Oh." Kagome replied dumbly. She pushed her hair behind her ear again. "Then I guess I'll be going now…" She stepped backwards and stumbled over a piece of broken pottery. "Ow!" She picked herself up slowly, wincing and temporarily forgetting the matter at hand. The sharp fragments dug into her hands and they were smeared with blood.

His nose twitched uncomfortably. He could smell the sharp tang of her blood. For a moment, a brief flash of guilt pushed its way into his mind before he shoved it away. Unsure of what to do or how to act, he just sat there in the air and watched as she tried to remove all the little shards in her hand, hissing in pain every once in a while. Suddenly, she spoke.

"You haven't killed me yet." She observed calmly. He stiffened slightly, searching for a reply, but before he could say anything Kagome spoke again. "What's your name?" She asked curiously.

"I don't remember." He replied coldly. Why did she care? Why did he tell her? Oh well…

"Oh…" her attention was still focused on her hand. She looked up suddenly. "Do all ghosts- I mean, poltergeists look like you?"

"No." He was pretty sure of that. After all, not all poltergeists were half-demons when they were alive. Wow, he remembered something. Again, he searched his memory for anything else that he might've missed.

Kagome found the silence unnerving, but at least he wasn't threatening to kill her anymore. She winced slightly as she pulled out yet another piece of ancient pottery, slick with her blood. She dropped it on the floor and it hit the floor with a quiet tinkling sound. The silence was pressing down, uncomfortable. "Why do **you** look like that?" She asked, rather rudely. She blushed slightly.

The poltergeist halted his memory hunt and replied briefly, "I was- **am** half-demon."

"What do you mean by that?" Kagome asked, her hands temporarily forgotten. "How long have you been around?"

"Why do you care?" He asked again. He paused for a moment, and then said begrudgingly. "Go away." He never really realized how lonely he was…

Kagome nodded wordlessly and hurried away, cradling her more injured hand and leaving and bemused poltergeist behind her.

X

"Kagome!" Said girl's mother gasped. "What on earth happened to your hands!" She rushed over from behind the counter where she was preparing dinner to inspect the cuts.

"I fell on some broken pottery." Kagome admitted, wincing slightly as her mother touched one of the more painful cuts.

"Where on earth did you find broken pottery?" Her mother asked. "Never mind that, I'll go get some bandages." Mrs. Higurashi hurried away and Kagome sat down on a chair, going over all that had happened.

"Here we are." Ever the concerned mother, Mrs. Higurashi briskly entered the room toting an excessively large first aid kit. "Did you get all the pottery out?" Kagome's mother asked.

"I think so…" She replied. "I'm not sure." Mrs. Higurashi pulled out a pair of glasses and leaned closer towards Kagome's hand.

"I don't think you did." She assessed. She rummaged it the kit and pulled out a pair of tweezers. Kagome winced in anticipation. "You should be more careful." Her mother admonished after noticing Kagome's reaction.

"I know." She flinched slightly as Mrs. Higurashi pulled out a sliver and deposited it on the table.

"There you go." The older woman pulled out some cotton swabs and bottle of iodine. "This'll sting a bit…" She swabbed gently at Kagome's hand. "So, where did you find broken pottery?"

Kagome had never been one to lie to her mother. "It's pretty unbelievable, actually." Kagome admitted. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I know I wouldn't believe it. Anyway, I was looking around in the forest and I found this shed…"

X

"I knew it!" Mr. Higurashi exclaimed triumphantly. "I knew I felt the presence of evil in this vicinity!"

Kagome's mother looked at him uncertainly. "But Dad, do you believe her? Could she have really seen a ghost?"

"Not a ghost, a poltergeist!" Souta bounced on the couch impatiently. "This is so awesome! Our house is **haunted**!" Things were about to get interesting…

Kagome hurried down the stairs, both hand wrapped in neatly in clean white bandages. She was just in time to hear her younger sibling's last comment. "I don't think he haunts the house, Souta." She frowned slightly. "Just the shed."

"It's better than nothing!" Souta replied stoically. "We've got a haunted shed, at least!"

"Is the shed ours?" Kagome directed the question at her mother. "I didn't think that the forest was a part of our property."

"Only a bit of it is." Mrs. Higurashi tossed the comment over her shoulder as she went into the kitchen. "But I'm pretty sure that the shed is included."

The others followed her into the kitchen to grab utensils and bowls for dinner.

X

After she left, the poltergeist wandered about the shed, agitated by the smell of blood that she'd left after cutting herself on the broken pottery. He left the shed, escaping the disturbing odor and seeking refuge in the concealing branches of a large tree on the edge of the forest. For a while he just floated in between the foliage of the tree, staring into space with an empty mind.

The sun was going down and the sky was a brilliant spectrum of faded colors, casting all in an orange glow. The grass waved a sighed as a warm breeze swept through the garden. All else was silent.

His nose twitched as a new smell entered his perceptions: food. Although he didn't need to and was incapable of eating, He nonetheless felt drawn to the smell, to the human company inside. He found himself leaving the tree and hovering over the grass, and the next thing he knew, he was by the window. He glanced in for a moment, just watching the family as they talked and ate. His sensitive ears twitched as they caught the conversation.

"I'll banish it!" The old, apparently eccentric old man exclaimed with force. "We'll see no trouble from him!"

"Gramps…" The kid said, shaking his head. He looked at his sister, Kagome. The girl who'd invaded his sanctuary and messed with his urn. He still wasn't sure how he felt about her. She was annoying and rather stupid, but tolerable, he decided. But only slightly tolerable. "Isn't it cool though?" Her younger brother asked excitedly. "A ghost! Haunting our property!"

The **poltergeist**- not ghost! - looked at the girl again in annoyance. She'd gotten her facts messed up. And what gave **her** the right to tell them all about him? Before you'd know it there'd be people from all over popping up in his shed and trying to poke him. And it wasn't like he could go away and find someplace else. His urn was here. He needed to be near it. He growled slightly.

As if reading his thoughts, the girl told her brother, "I told you, poltergeist. And I don't think he likes to be bothered…" She said vaguely. Damn right. Suddenly she looked out towards the window and saw him standing there.

If he could, he wouldn't blushed in embarrassment. How humiliating! Getting caught staring at him while they were eating dinner, like some poor vagabond in search of company or a bowl of soup. But why did **he** care what they thought?

X

"Oh, look! There he is now!" Kagome said nervously. Maybe he was coming back to kill her like he said he would… "Hello!" She tapped on the window and waved. No harm in being friendly, right? "Umm, would you like to come in?" She asked with a smile.

"No."

He sure was an odd one, Kagome thought. His eyes flickered with indecision for a moment. Then wordlessly, he turned around and shot up into the sky and out of view. Kagome shrugged. "Oh, well." She turned around to see the rest of her family- besides Buyo, who was calmly eating some of her grandpa's food- staring at her in shock.

"Cool!" Souta exclaimed eagerly. "I just saw a ghost! I mean, poltergeist!" He disregarded his food to bombard Kagome with questions. "Is a poltergeist a kind of ghost? What's his name? Why does he have those weird ears? Is he nice? Is he-"

Kagome interrupted him. "I don't know." She said flatly, and continued to eat her dinner.

"Well that settles it." Mr. Higurashi rose heavily from the table. "I'm going to go exorcise this shed." He moved away from the table, plate in hand.

"Grandpa, don't!" Souta protested. "That's like killing him! He hasn't done anything bad!"

"Except threaten to kill Kagome!" The senior shot back. "How do we know he won't actually try to?" The old man deposited his plate in the sink and slid open the back door to the garden.

"Grandpa!" Souta tried again. "If he wanted to, don't you think he could've killed Kagome by now or something?" He tried frantically to defend the poltergeist. But Mr. Higurashi had already shut the door behind him and was moving towards the forest. "It's not fair! Souta told the others. "I'm not going to let him!"

His mother sighed. "It's okay, Souta. I don't think that anything is going to happen. Remember when Grandpa tried to exorcise that old mask?" Souta nodded slowly. "Nothing happened, remember?" Souta nodded again, a little more cheerfully this time. "Nothing's going to happen to our ghost, either."

"Poltergeist, Mom." He corrected and got up from the floor with his plate in his hand.

"Ah, yes." Mrs. Higurashi replied quickly. "Poltergeist." She frowned when she saw her father hurrying back up through the grass towards the house, a small bundle in his arms. She quickly got up and slid open the door. "What's wrong?" She asked, concern leaking into her voice. "What's tha-" She gasped. "Oh, my." She hurried out of the door and delicately took the small bundle from her father.

"Found 'im." The senior wheezed. "Near the edge of the forest. I'll bet you anything it was that poltergeist!"

Kagome took one look at the poor child in her mother's arms and hurried upstairs for the first aid kit.

"Let's not worry about that now." Mrs. Higurashi admonished tersely. "Let's get him some help." Kagome rushed back down the stairs, kit flying out behind her and banging off the wall as she turned a sharp corner.

"Here we go." She quickly opened the kit and put it down on the table. Kagome hovered anxiously over her mother's shoulder. "Is he gonna be all right?" She asked worredly.

"I hope so." Her mother replied grimly. She tenderly brushed the ginger hair away from the small child's forehead. "I hope so…" She murmured again, and began to rummage through the first aid kit.

AN: I'm sure that you know who "The poltergeist" is by now. Don't worry, he'll bet his name back in the next chapter…


	3. Rooms For Rent

AN: Well, I changed by dividers into bunnies. I don't know why. But they're cool, and that's good enough for me. What about **you**? (Yes, I'm crazy)

Disclaimer: In no way, shape or form do I own Inuyasha or any of the characters in the show, although I'd like to… (hint hint)

Haunted

Chapter Three: Rooms for Rent

"There we are." Mrs. Higurashi's light tone of voice was contradicted by the worried frown that creased her forehead.

"So he'll be alright now?" Souta asked again. He peered over his mother's shoulder at the small bundle. "He's not gonna die, or anything?"

"I don't think so." The woman said with a tired smile. "His injuries looked pretty bad, but they're shallow. I'm more worried about this big bump on his head." She gingerly felt the large swollen bump at the back of his head.

The small child squirmed uncomfortably and Mrs. Higurashi carefully drew her hand away. "Shhh…" She murmured to the squirming bundle in her arms. She looked up towards her daughter who crouched behind her.

"He's so cute…" Kagome whispered. After all the dirt and scratches had been cleaned and taken care of, he was simply adorable. "Can I hold him?" She asked, smiling down at the infant. They actually had no idea of how old he was. He could be anywhere from a big two-year-old to a very small six-year-old.

"Of course." With a gentle smile, Mrs. Higurashi carefully passed the sleeping or unconscious child into her daughter's eager arms.

"Awww," Kagome cooed. Souta peered over his sister's shoulder to get a better look at the kid.

"What happened, do you think?" He whispered to her, still staring at the bruises and Band Aids that decorated the child's face.

"I don't know," Kagome replied quietly. "It's so sad, though. He must've been so scared." She got up slowly from the table and moved to the couch, Souta trailing behind her like a dog eager for a treat.

Mrs. Higurashi smiled and got up from the table. She glanced behind her to make sure that everything was okay and walked into the kitchen to wash the dishes. It had been well past nine o'clock by the time they had finished bandaging the poor kid. She shook her head remorsefully. How could anyone let something so terrible like that happen to such a small child?

After a few minutes of staring at the sleeping kid, Souta moved away with a yawn, declaring himself to be off to bed. Ten minutes later Mrs. Higurashi finished washing the dishes.

"Do you want me to take him?" She asked her daughter who was still entranced by the dozing child.

"Nah, I'll stay up and watch him." Kagome replied. "He's so cute!" She said again. Her mother smiled and walked towards the doorway.

"If you need anything, just ask, okay?" She said. Kagome nodded. Mrs. Higurashi rubbed her eyes and turned towards the stairs. "Goodnight."

"G'night," Kagome called after her. "I wonder what his name is", she mused, staring down at the kid's sleeping face. Her gaze wandered away from his face and to various objects around the room as she thought. The room was silent in exception to the quiet ticking of clock on a shelf.

Kagome's eyelids fluttered shut for a moment, and her head tilted towards her chest. With a yawn, she shifted her bundle and brought her hand to her mouth, only to suddenly let out a gasp of surprise, Ten o'clock already? It seemed like only an hour or so ago that her grandfather had gone outside to return with the poor kid… She looked down at her bundle again, and wide green eyes met surprised brown. "H-hello." She stammered.

"Hi." The kid replied. "Who are you?" He asked, bright green eyes staring up into her face.

"Umm…" Kagome hesitated. "My name's Kagome." She offered with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "We found you in the forest."

"Oh, okay." The kid replied airily. "My name's Shippo." He squirmed and offered a tiny hand. "Nice to meet you." He said with dignity.

Kagome giggled. "Nice to meet you, too." She said with a smile. Too cute…! "Um, how old are you?" She asked.

"Twenty-two." Shippo lied blatantly. "I bet I'm older than you." Kagome stared at the kid in temporary consternation.

"Umm…" She stalled. "No, really. How old are you, Shippo?" She tried again. The kid merely giggled and shook his head. Maybe he'd hit it a little harder than they'd thought…

The kid, still giggling, started to wiggle free. Kagome let her hold loosen and Shippo bounced to the floor. He stood there a moment, then bounded into the dark hallway. "Hey, wait!" Kagome cried, panicked. "You're not supposed to move yet! You're not supposed to be **able** to move yet!" She scrambled off the couch in pursuit of the little "invalid". Obviously, he wasn't nearly injured as they all had assumed. "Wait!" She tried again, stumbling over boxes in the dark hallway. "Hey!" As she passed her mother's bedroom the older woman came out, rubbing her eyes.

"Kagome?" She asked with a yawn. "Something wrong?" She looked pointedly at Shippo's obvious absence in her arms. "How's our little fellow?" She smiled and closed the door behind her with a gentle click.

"Oh, he's just **fine**," Kagome replied sourly. "I just don't know where he is, is all." At her mother's surprised expression, Kagome hurriedly explained. "He ran away. He's definitely not so bad off."

Mrs. Higurashi merely smiled. "Well, let's go find him. What's his name?" She squinted down the hallway.

"Shippo." Kagome replied irritably as she looked inside one of the empty boxes. "Shippo!" She called out. "It's all right! You can come out!"

"Poor dear." Mrs. Higurashi sighed as she turned the corner and flicked on another light. "He must be terrified. He's just woken up from being traumatized in some way and he has no idea of where he is." She bent down and gently extended her hand. "It's okay, Shippo. You can come out. No one's going to hurt you." The boxes rustled, out came…

Buyo. With a mew, the obese cat sauntered up and twined himself around the woman's legs. "Oops!" Kagome's mother smiled. She picked up the heavy feline and continued down the hallway.

"Shippo!" Kagome called, having gone in the opposite direction of her mother. "Shippo! You can't hide forever!" She stopped outside of her brother's room after hearing some muffled thumps and giggles. Frowning, she opened the door.

"Hey!" Souta yelled and tossed his blanket over a suspiciously Shippo- sized lump. "Ever heard of privacy!" The lump moved slightly.

It had been a rhetorical question, but she didn't care. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I have." Kagome replied scathingly. She strode into the room and picked up the lump. It squirmed about for a moment and Shippo's head popped out of one of the ends. "Oops!" Kagome flipped the child right side up.

"Hey!" Shippo squealed, arms and legs flailing as he struggled weakly. His eyes fluttered closed for a moment before popping open. "Put me down!" He exclaimed indignantly, fighting a yawn. Kagome smiled rather grimly. This kid was definitely behaving differently from how she'd expected.

As all her attention was fixed on the errant houseguest, she was completely unprepared for Souta's surprise attack. He tackled her from behind, slamming her onto the hard wooden floor of the hallway. Despite his injuries, Shippo managed to scramble out from under his stunned would-be caretaker.

Whooping and laughing triumphantly, the two boys ran off into the dark, leaving a stunned and pained Kagome alone with her anguished thoughts. "Oh dear god, what had we done…?" She didn't even try and get up.

(O.o)

( )

Four miles at a small café, a young man with smooth black hair tied into a small ponytail at the back of his head sat at a small table sipping coffee. A small battered suitcase stood on the ground next to him as he looked over the classifieds. His surprisingly purple eyes wavered towards the personals and with great effort, they moved back towards the other page. He put empty mug down on the table and picked up the old suitcase, counting out a meager amount of money out on his palm and paying the cashier. He went back to the table and picked up the newspaper, picking out the designated ad again.

"Rooms For Rent:

Higurashi Residence, 1224 Priestess Lane

Please call to reserve a room and negotiate the terms: 245 555 1943"

He nodded to himself and headed outside, neatly folding the paper in half. He stood outside of the small café and searched him pockets for money. With a sigh, he pulled out a frugal number of coins. He put the money back in his pocket and looked at his battered watch. He'd reach the place by dark…

(O.o)

( )

Roughly ten miles away, Kagome heaved a defeated sigh and rolled onto her back. Even with a ghost- poltergeist, she reminded herself- haunting the property, life was pretty boring. "Nothing to do…" She hummed tunelessly over and over again. "Nothing, nothing, nothing…" She stopped as small hands rested on her stomach for a moment, followed by the rest of their owner.

Shippo's bright green eyes stared into her own. "Souta says there's a ghost haunting the house!" He exclaimed. His voice dropped to a confidential whisper. "Is it true?" His eyes darted from one end of the room to another, as if seeking out anything abnormal in the room. "Well?" He demanded.

Kagome sat up from her position on the floor and removed Shippo from her stomach. "Yup." She placed the mischievous child on the beige carpet. "And he's a poltergeist, not a ghost." She corrected.

"What's the difference?" Shippo asked and scooted away, probably in search of Souta. The two had become nearly inseparable over the last few days. The wreaked havoc all over the house, playing tricks on everyone, from poor Buyo –they'd put him in a cardboard box – to each other.

"I don't know." Kagome admitted. Over the past few days since they'd found Shippo, she'd run into the poltergeist. Not literally, of course, but he did wander around the property often enough that she saw him quite a bit. Every time she saw him, she waved or said hello, but he never really acknowledged her. Sometimes he would nod curtly, or wave vaguely. In short, he was a jerk and trying to befriend him was like trying to get a rock to smile. And as I'm sure we all know, rocks are physically incapable of smiling. At least he hadn't insulted her yet…

And here she was again, off to go and try and be friendly. Kagome got up from the floor and opened the back door. Surprisingly, there he was, standing outside by the big tree on the edge of the forest.

"Hi!" She jogged up to him, shading her eyes from the bright summer sun. She slowed when she reached the tree, standing a respectful four feet or so away from him. "How are you?"

"Hey." He replied. He'd replied! A breakthrough! Of course, not very much of a breakthrough, but it was a start. Hopefully.

He didn't really know what had brought him towards the tree and near the house in the first place. One moment, he'd been staring into space. The next, he found himself drifting over the long dry grass under the shade of the big tree. As he'd suspected, the girl had come running- literally. To be honest, he didn't get it. Every time she saw him, she smiled and said hello, almost as if she delighted in seeing him around. What was so great about a dysfunctional poltergeist? As far as he could tell, the two kids in the house were better poltergeists than him.

"Nice weather." He snorted quietly. She was grasping at straws again. The girl looked at him sharply.

"What?" She demanded. She took a step forward. He moved back. She stopped where she was and paused for a moment before sitting down with a defeated sigh. "Why?"

"Huh?" She startled him. He rose a few inches in the air and rolled until he was resting on his stomach in the air in front of her.

"Why do you hate me?" She asked bluntly, a bitter edge to her voice. She looked straight at him and he flinched.

He didn't hate her, exactly. He definitely thought she was annoying… Didn't he? He just didn't know. He didn't know who he was or how to act. His identity, hell, his **existence** was a complete mystery. He was so drained… of life, of emotions, of knowledge. 500 years was a long time to be alone, without life or companionship. He'd probably spent 400 years of that eternity sleeping. But he didn't tell her that. He merely shrugged and looked away.

"Oh, come on." She insisted crossly. "If you hate me, you should at least tell me why." She folded her arms over her chest and looked at him stubbornly.

"I…" He gulped slightly. "I don't hate you." He admitted with some difficulty, his tone harsh. He didn't know what he thought, about her or anything else. She was just another confusing element to his strange existence at the moment. Who was he? Or rather, who had he been? Who was Kikyo? Why did he hate her? And then there were the memories. He could make neither heads nor tails of them.

Kagome looked at him with some surprise. "They why're you always so… cold?" She questioned. "Every time I try and be friendly you just brush me off like some annoying flea or something. Where are you going?"

As she spoke, he'd been slowly edging away towards the forest and a good place to think. He snorted irritably as his plan was foiled. He floated upright and then moved purposefully towards the forest. "Away from you." He replied shortly.

Kagome glared daggers at the back of his head. Oh no, he didn't hate her. He just despised her and everything about her. "Kagome!" her mother called from the kitchen window, which was open in the head. "Lunch!"

She got up and dusted off her short green skirt. "Coming!" She called back. She took one glance back towards the dark interior of the forest. She hesitated for a moment then turned towards the house, nose in the air. What a jerk…

(O.o)

( )

"Ah. Here we are." Miroku looked at the old wooden sign declaring, "Priestess Lane" in faded paint. "This is the place." He switched the old suitcase to his other hand and headed up the lane, the only thing of value, a golden staff, jangling as he walked. Even as desperately in need of money as he was, he would never sell it. It was a family heirloom of sorts, passed down from father to son for generations, according to his adoptive father, con artist of sorts, and monk Mushin. Miroku shook his head, recalling the old man's terrible sense of morality and ethics. He smiled slightly as he summoned a mental image of the old drunk monk.

Here it was. The Higurashi residence, with a small sign declaring, "Rooms for Rent". He headed up the gravel path and knocked on the front door. Good. Not too loud, but official and polite. Respectful and dignified. He adjusted the suitcase in hand and ran a hand through his hair, a charming smile in place on his face. The door opened. "Greetings. I'm here to-" he frowned.

A polite cough brought his gaze a little lower towards the ground. Two children stood in the doorway, the larger one black-haired and the smaller one ginger. He adjusted his smile slightly. Perfect. Gentlemanly, yet kind. "Hello." He kneeled down to the children's height. "Is there an adult that I-"

"Mom!" The taller one shouted as the younger sized him up, a mischievous twinkle in his bright green eyes. "Mom!" He hollered again.

"Coming, Souta!" A light feminine voice called from the depths of the large house. A kind-looking woman appeared in the doorway. "Hello." She smiled. Miroku looked up from Shippo's gaze and altered his smile and posture again. Perfect.

"Hello, I'm here about the rooms." Miroku offered a hand politely. Mrs. Higurashi, he presumed. "Nice to meet you. I'm Miroku." He shook her hand briskly, firmly.

"Oh, please come in." The older woman stepped back, allowing him to enter the house. Shippo and Souta scampered away, whispering to each other. Miroku stepped inside the house.

Best get down to business. "Might I see one of the rooms?" He asked politely, hefting his suitcase as he removed his sandals.

"Oh yes, of course." Mrs. Higurashi said with a slightly apprehensive smile. "Ah yes, a newbie," Miroku thought. "I must be the first customer." All the better for him… He followed the possible hostess into the hallway.

"Here we are," She indicated a nicely decorated, although rather bare, bedroom. It was well sized for a rental room, not too big as to be luxurious, but big enough for one person to be comfortably snug. She watched his response anxiously. "Oh, and we have others, too. Would you like to see them?"

"That would be wonderful, thank you." He flashed her one of his charming smiles and followed her farther down the hall. One of the doors ahead suddenly burst open, and Miroku stopped abruptly in shock. Looks like he found a new home…

"Jerk!" The fuming girl, completely unaware of the fact that Miroku was eyeing her, stormed out of the room, closing the door sharply behind her, an upset frown settled on her attractive face.

"Oh, Kagome!" Mrs. Higurashi called to the girl. "Come meet… I'm sorry, what did you say your name was again?" she asked politely.

"Miroku, ma'am." He replied, eyes still glued on the girl as she came down the hall. "And how are you miss?" He flashed a perfect smile. Slightly flirty, yet charming. Another masterpiece.

"Hello." She replied bluntly, inclining her head at him as she strode by. Suddenly out of the same room, a white head popped out of the door. Literally. Miroku stumbled in surprise. How was that possible?

"Good riddance!" The head shouted out before popping back through the door. The old battered suitcase dropped from Miroku's numb hand.

"Oh, that's just out poltergeist." Mrs. Higurashi hastily tried to reassure him. "He's actually quite umm…" The older woman searched for words. "…friendly, in his own way." Mrs. Higurashi cleared her throat nervously.

"I… see." Miroku said slowly, picking up the suitcase. Well… he hadn't been expecting **that**… One hand went to his head to smooth his hair in bewilderment. "So… what're the terms?" Mrs. Higurashi led him back towards the living room by one elbow, as he was currently in a state of shock.

"Well," She began in relief. Good thing the poltergeist hadn't scared him off. "I was thinking that for one room and the food, it'd be, oh say…" She frowned slightly as she thought until Miroku interrupted her.

"I'm afraid I can only offer my services." He said humbly, eyes on the ground. "If you need a handy man, or an assistant cook…" He looked up from the beige carpet and up at the woman hopefully. "To be honest, I don't have anywhere to go…" He shrugged in embarrassment. "I got laid off…" For groping too many of the female employees, but she didn't need to know that little detail…

Mrs. Higurashi's brown eye's softened. "Of course. I'll give you the first month free, but you'll have to help me around the house, okay?" She said firmly. "I'll give you room and board, but you'll have to work for it." She explained.

"My thanks." He bowed, a truly grateful smile gracing his features. "I'll help whenever you need me."

"Of course." The older woman laughed. "Oh, I'll go get your room set up." She said hastily.

"No need," Miroku intervened. "After all, I'm going to be helping out quite a bit, aren't I?" He followed Mrs. Higurashi into the first bedroom he'd been shown.

"Yes, that's true." She admitted, stopping at the entryway. I'll show you around after you're settled in, okay?"

"That would be great, thank you." The older woman shut the door and Miroku put the old suitcase on the floor, He straightened and surveyed the surroundings. Things seemed like they were going to work out after all…

(O.o)

( )

Since the six days that had passed since the poltergeist had admitted that he didn't hate her, Kagome and he had become somewhat friends. Although he had admitted that he didn't hate her, she wasn't sure whether or not she believed him, though. Often enough he would just ignore her or say one of his trademark callous remarks. Those remarks had gotten them into several vicious arguments, most of them resulting in Kagome stomping off, and the poltergeist telling her to go away and to not come back.

But sometimes, he'd say or do something that would make her think otherwise. Nothing outright of course, but subtle hints that would refute the nasty comments and rude disposition. Sometimes she'd see him by the big tree on the edge of the forest, just drifting casually in the air. To her, it was obvious he was waiting for her, though he was clearly trying to make it seem like he just happened to be there.

They'd been underneath the big tree, just sitting in a companionable silence. Kagome pulled out a book and started to read while the poltergeist drifted about and thought. "Kagome! Lunch is ready!" Kagome scrambled up from the ground and headed towards the house. She paused about five feet from the tree.

"Do you want to come?" She asked. He turned one curiously pale grey eye towards her and his ears twitched slightly. Wordlessly, he started to float towards her on his stomach, about five feet off the ground. Despite having been around him for six days, she was still unnerved by the way he'd suddenly slide one way or another without actually moving, sometimes ten or twelve feet off the ground.

Kagome walked through towards the back door, the long grass brushing her bare legs as she walked. She reached for the handle, sliding the glass open with the poltergeist a few feet behind her. She slid out of her brown shoes at the door and walked into the kitchen with him trailing behind.

"Oh, hello." Mrs. Higurashi smiled invitingly at the poltergeist as she finished cutting some carrots and set them on a plate. "I'm sorry, but, um, do you …eat?" She asked with slight embarrassment. Kagome winced slightly, unsure if the question would offend the rather volatile poltergeist.

"Nope." He replied and turned in the air. Kagome's mother watched in fascination as he righted himself gracefully into a cross-legged position. He raised his eyebrows at the way she was openly staring at him. The older woman immediately busied herself with the food. Kagome bit her lip at the tense atmosphere in the room. This didn't seem to be going too well…

(O.o)

( )

He resisted the urge to snort. And she seemed to think that he had no sense of diplomacy… That was diplomacy. He had to admit that he was slightly pleased when she'd invited him into the house. Not that anything interesting had happened yet. So far, he'd just floated around in the air as usual and watched her eat. Every now and then she'd make some comment about something or other.

The two kids suddenly crashed into the room, laughing and skidding around the table in a mad dash. Suddenly, the older one- Souta, he reminded himself- came to an abrupt stop. The smaller ginger-haired one whose name he didn't know came crashing into him. Souta rocked forward slightly from the impact but the squirt was too small to knock him over.

"So, how long have you been a poltergeist, exactly? Were you always one, or did you die and then become one?" Souta's brown eyes shone with curiosity. Out of the corner of his eye, the poltergeist watched as the girl made shooing motions at her younger brother to try and shut him up.

"I never died." He said bluntly. "I was cursed." Well, there was another memory… and another thousand questions to add to his list. Who cursed him? Why? When? How? If it was a curse, could it be removed? If so, how…? He growled quietly. Who was the kid to ask, anyway?

"Cursed!" Kagome suddenly choked on her food. "You were **cursed**!" She repeated, shoving her food away from her and moving away from the table.

"Yeah.." He said slowly, the squirt's offence immediately forgotten with the girl's weird behavior.

"Well, why didn't you **say** so!" She asked in exasperation, throwing her hands up in the air and rushing out of the kitchen.

"Because you never asked…?" He stared at her retreating back with alarm. What had gotten into **her**?

Her head suddenly popped out from around the corner. "What are you just standing there for?" She waved enthusiastically, motioning for him to follow her. "Come on!" She skittered around the corner on the wooden floor and ran up the stairs. With a sigh, he floated through the ceiling, appearing in front of her on the second storey. She stopped in surprise. "Don't **do** that!" She folded her arms over her chest.

His smirk was all she got in response as he materialized out of the floor to float at eye level with her. She raced passed his surprised face and into one of the empty rooms, the one that was some sort of office. She opened a series of boxes, one after another. "Nope, nope." She shook her head in frustration. "Oh, where **are** they?" She asked the various boxes piled about the room.

"Where are what?" He asked curiously. He watched with puzzlement as she dug into another box and with a muttered exclamation, toss it aside.

"Where?" She asked the room again, whirling around to look at all sides of the room. "Aha!" She lunged forward. "Found you!" She struggled with a heavy box labeled, "Shrine Records and Spells". She dumped the box on the ground. "Oh, I do hope it wasn't something that burned up in that stupid fire…" She muttered to herself as she struggled with the tape on the box.

"Fire?" He asked. She really was being cryptic now, and it was irritating. "Hello?" He shook his head as ghostly transparent bangs fell into his eyes. "Kagome!" He demanded sharply. She turned to face him quickly, a look of pleased surprise on her face as she forgot about the box for a moment.

"What?" He asked uneasily as she continued to stare blatantly at him. He shifted uncomfortably and floated towards the boxes in a cross-legged position.

"You…" She began slowly. "You just called me by my name." A delighted smile slowly lit her face like the breaking of dawn. "You **do** like me!" She grinned cheerfully at him. He squirmed and protested under her cheerful gaze.

"I never said **that**!" He protested. "All I said was that I don't hate you!" He reminded her as she continued to grin at him.

The smile toned down a bit, and the poltergeist felt a twinge of guilt before shaking it off. "You don't have to say it." Her smile still shone on her face. "I already know."

"B-but-!" He spluttered. If he had a face of flesh and blood, it would been stained red with embarrassment.

"See!" She crowed, laughing. "You're blushing!" She suddenly registered the comment. "You're…" She leaned closer. "Blushing…?" She leaned closer. "You **are**…" she breathed.

"I am?" He asked nervously. "How is that possible?" He placed ghostly hands over his equally spectral cheeks and rubbed hard, trying to make it go away. "You mean my face was pink? Or grey?" He continued to rub frantically. This wasn't supposed to happen. This never happened before. What was wrong with him…?

"Come on!" She made a swipe for his sleeve, then drew her hand back hesitantly when she remembered that she couldn't touch him. "Follow me!" She motioned for him to follow her anxiously. She hastily picked up the box and ran out the door, closely followed by the shaken poltergeist.

She raced into her room. "Look!" She pointed at the mirror hanging on the wall. "See for yourself!" He moved slowly towards the mirror and lowered his hands from his face hesitantly, afraid of what he'd see. "Oh, gods…" He murmured quietly. His face was a delicate shade of pink.

Kagome nodded. "See?" She moved behind him to look at his reflection. She could see herself through him. It was rather unsettling. She moved back to the box. "Let's see…" She muttered as the stricken ghostly being stared at his reflection. It wasn't just the pink. It's been a long time sine he'd seen what he looked like, in a mirror or otherwise. He'd forgotten…

He started at the half dog demon in the mirror, taking in the long white hair, the pale grey eyes, the darker grey haori, the prayer beads and the triangular ears perched on the top of his head. Something seemed out of place, besides the fact that his formerly ochre eyes were now grey and his haori had once been red. There was something… different.

"I think I got it!" Kagome cheered, holding an ancient scroll. "Let's see…" She unrolled it carefully. "Curses… no, ghosts?" She frowned. "Oh, I don't know!" She let the scroll roll up on it's own accord. She looked at the poltergeist, who was still staring at his reflection. "Do you remember anything?" She probed. "Anything at all about the curse or who cursed you?" She leaned towards him as he continued to stare into the mirror.

"Hey!" She disrupted his thoughts. "I'm trying to help you here!" She put her hands on her hips as he turned to glare at her.

"Well, you're not." He snarled. He'd almost had it. On the very brink of his conscious, he'd nearly grasped it, some great important knowledge. He didn't know what it had been, except that it had been really important. And she'd broken through his thoughts, sending the information fleeing from his mind.

She backed away, clearly offended. Here she was, trying to be helpful, and all he did was snap at her! And this time, it had gone beyond his usual gruffness. It was downright nasty. "You jerk!" Her brown eyes were narrowed as she stared at him belligerently. "Here I am, being friendly and helpful, and you just insult me!" Angry tears brimmed in her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall. "I can't believe you! You're so **rude**!" Her arms were folded tightly across her chest. "Well, you can just work things out on you own!" She rushed to the door and slammed it after her.

"Jerk!" She stopped outside the door to press her hands against her face. She brought them down slowly and stormed down the hallway.

"Oh, Kagome!" Her mother smiled cheerfully, but her eyes were filled with sympathy. "Come meet… I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?" Kagome kept going, completely ignoring her mother as she rushed towards the living room.

"Hello." She almost snarled as she strode past. She turned sharply at the corner and rushed down the carpeted stairs.

"Good riddance!" The poltergeist's angry voice rang out from behind her. What a jerk… She'd just been trying to help! She sniffed and fiercely rubbed her eyes. She was **not** going to cry over that insensitive moron.

She stopped briefly at the living room, but Shippo and Souta who were playing some board game or other already occupied it. She rushed out the door, barely pausing to stumble into a pair of sandals at the door. "Where are you going?" Souta asked, oblivious to Kagome's bad mood.

The long grass whipped her legs as she rushed towards the big tree where they sat only forty- five minutes ago. She stopped and abruptly changed direction, hurrying towards the green hills about half a mile behind their property.

(O.o)

( )

He tried to throw himself face down on the ground in despair, but simply managed to sink halfway into it. For a few moments, he'd felt almost alive as he sat with her and looked through the boxes, and when they'd argued he always felt gloriously angry. He embraced the emotions, throwing himself into them desperately. And now he threw himself into despair.

He floated up a few inches, nose barely above the earth. Grass grew though him and for the first time in centuries he felt an overwhelming anguish wash through him. Would he be doomed to wander the earth forever, watching the people around him grow old and die as he remained untouchable by time and everything else? It all seemed so hopeless…

Even when he was alive as a half dog-demon, he'd watched others grow old and die while he grew slowly. It had been so painful to watch him mortal mother wither into an old woman as he grew slowly. He'd left when he was five or six by demon standards, unable to watch his mother slowly decay into an old woman and then into death. He probably would've been seven at the time. His father was long dead, he remembered… As he floated a few inches over the ground, staring into the dirt memories washed over him, coming back. But they were few and far between, like the unconnected pieces of a large puzzle.

He shook his head fiercely. "Remember," He willed himself. "remember, remember…" That scrap of knowledge evaded him as he reached desperately. "Remember!" He squeezed his eyes shut and his ears flattened against his head. Ears… He was dog demon… Dog… demon…

"Inu…" He concentrated fiercely. "Inu… Inu… Yasha." Bright amber eyes widened and a smile of relief shone openly on his face.

He'd remembered.

(O.o)

( )

Miroku flinched in surprise as the back door slid open and a draft of cold air passed by him. He turned from his seat on the couch and smiled pleasantly. "Hello." The attractive girl stopped in the doorway with her shoes half on, half off. Her eyes took him in suspiciously.

"Hello…" She replied cautiously and stepped inside. "Umm…" She hummed awkwardly. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" She demanded bluntly, hands on hips as she strayed towards the door to the hallway.

"Don't be alarmed." Miroku said smoothly. "I'm renting a room." She relaxed slightly. "I'm Miroku." He got up off the couch and extended one hand.

"And I'm Kagome." She shook his hand briskly.

"Are you renting here?" He asked her, straight-faced as his hand slid stealthily towards her backside.

"I live here." She replied. He quickly withdrew his hand. Such a pity… "If you'll excuse me," She headed up to her room, clearly in a bad mood.

"Kagome?" Miroku whirled around. It was the poltergeist. "Who the hell are you?' The poltergeist demanded with hostility.

"I'm renting one of the rooms," Miroku replied, rather uneasy as the spectral figure moved through the sliding glass door. "Kagome just went up to her room." He indicated the stairwell.

To his surprise, the dog-eared boy just floated up to the ceiling and through it, disappearing as he entered the next storey. Miroku just shrugged. He'd seen weirder. Well, maybe not…

(O.o)

( )

Spurred on by the recollection of his name, he drifted purposefully through the house. He needed to find Kagome, he needed the scrolls. He needed a life again, not some poor excuse for one. Proof that his existence wasn't truly valid came in the fact that he couldn't touch anything real. It all rushed to his head. He had once had a life. It hadn't been a very good one, admittedly. It had been filled with hate, anger and danger, but anything, **anything** was better than what he had now. A terrible and desperate desire to truly live again welled up in him and he floated into Kagome's room, not bothering to declare his presence. He'd gotten his name, and now he wanted his life back.

"Kagome!" She was curled up on her bed. The futon had been moved out a few days ago. Her head was buried in the pillow, but she wasn't sleeping. She turned away from to face the wall. "Kagome!" He tried again.

"Back so soon?" Her tone was angry, reprimanding. "I thought you didn't need my help." She spat. She was still upset with him, but Inuyasha wasn't deterred.

"Kagome, I need those scrolls." He told her, a slightly desperate edge to his voice. But he didn't care. He just wanted that spell reversed. Now.

She sat up and looked at him through angry brown eyes. "Really?" She hugged the pillow to her chest, subconsciously seeking comfort from the soft material.  
"I thought I was just a nuisance." Her chin jutted out stubbornly. "but I still am, aren't I? You just need the scrolls."

He sighed in impatience. He didn't need this right now. "Look, are you gonna help me, or not?" he demanded, his stance similar to hers.

"You're missing the point!" She cried. "I've just been trying to help you, and you completely blow me off!" Her fists were clenched tightly in the pillow. "No matter what I say or do, you just… just… ooh! You''re just such a **jerk**!" She fumed. She would **not** cry…

Now he was mad. Furious. "Listen, bitch." Kagome's chin wavered slightly and her eyes narrowed. "I **need** those scrolls. Now." He said flatly.

"And I need some respect!" Kagome hissed and wiped the back of her across her eyes fiercely. **No** crying. "I've tried to be friendly. I've tried to be nice. But you… you could care less." She took in a deep shuddering breath. "All you do is **insult** me," She spat venomously. "and laugh at my expense. I'm so **sick** of it! And once you get what you want, you're just gonna blow me off again." Tears were running down her face, but she could care less now. "Just **go**!" She pointed at the door.

Inuyasha stopped cold. What was she getting at…? "What do you mean," He asked carefully, his voice suddenly neutral. "I'm just gonna blow you off again once I get what want?" he watched slowly as another tear slowly slid down her cheek, glittering as it splashed against the pillow, now lax in her lap.

Kagome looked away. "Nothing…" She let out a shuddering sigh. What had brought **that** on? "I'm… sorry." She said grudgingly, slowly. "I didn't mean that. I mean, not all of it. I meant some of it."

He frowned, curiosity taking hold. "Then what **did** you mean?" He forgot temporarily about the curse. He had no idea what she was talking about.

"Just forget it." She shook her head wearily, years of anger dispelled in a single moment. "Just go."

He floated back a bit, stung. "Hey, Kagome…" He began awkwardly. He was unsure of how to continue.

She forced a bitter smile, mouth still curled down at the edges. "I just need some time alone, okay?" If she found him one day…

He nodded slowly. He floated towards the door, then stopped abruptly, throwing one word over his shoulder as he went. "Inuyasha."

"What?" She sniffed and looked at his face in awe. His eyes… they were a brilliant shade of amber, almost gold.

"My name is Inuyasha."

(O.o)

( )

Miroku lowered his gaze from the ceiling above as he lounged on the couch, looking over a newspaper. The yelling had stopped. His purple eyes rested on Shippo and he asked in bemusement, "Are they **always** like this?" His finger indicated the room above.

"Yup." Shippo replied nonchalantly. "Pretty much." He picked up the bright orange rubber ball that Kagome had given him and tossed it into the air again. The ping-pong ball sized object rotated slowly in the air and fell into Shippo's outstretched hand.

"Oh…" He looked back at his newspaper. Young people these days… He shook his head sadly. So immature…

(O.o)

( )

Two miles away sat an unnamed hill. There was nothing particularly alarming or different about it from the other hills around it, but people animals, even plants instinctively avoided it. No one ever mentioned it or asked about it. Two hundred feet below this hill lay an old dank cave.

The cave was ancient, with a high ceiling and stalactites hanging towards the floor. But the strange thing about the cave wasn't it's age or it's size. It's peculiarity lay in the one thousand ancient and powerful sutras of containment, sealing, binding and exorcism that had been placed there. They pulsed, resonating with the powerful magic which created them. They hung about the walls, the ceiling, while others were suspended in the air around two large vessels that pulsed with a power of their own.

For the first time in five hundred years, one of them flickered uncertainly.

(O.o)

( )

AN: Aach… I think I messed up a bit. Inuyasha and Kagome both seemed out o' character, and Miroku's kinda… well, I dunno. He's not really himself. Any suggestions? (I really need some…)

Thanks for reading! I really and truly appreciate it!


	4. All Shapes and Sizes

AN: I swear, I'm addicted now. I can't stop writing! Ahhhhhh..! However, I'll be gone over the weekend, so I won't be able to write.

On another note –an insignificant one, at that, so you don't have to read this if you want to hear something interesting. Because this isn't particularly interesting. Anyway… I've randomly decided to change my dividers into interchanging between delinquent snowmen and equally bizarre bunnies. Maybe I'll throw in some snowmen/ rabbit scenes, too! It depends on how absolutely weird I'm feeling at the moment. Because of this, I have named my bunnies: Harold and Mandy. Mandy has the black eyes and Harold has the white ones. For instance:

(.•) Here is Mandy (O.o) Here's Harold. He's a derelict rabbit.

( ) ( ) (I stole him from my friend's profile and added

feet.)

The snowman is Antonio:

( • )(He'll be around until later this spring, and then he'll probably melt,

() but I'll keep him in my freezer safe and sound for as long as I can.)

(I hope, that if your name is Harold, Antonio or Christie by any chance, that you are not offended. There is no offence meant. In fact, I think they're pretty neat-o…)

And I've decided to respond to some reviews I got (thank you!)

Yes, I've read Bottled Genius (and much besides it by rozefire! She's great!) and the plot will be quite different. I don't really have an exact plot –it comes while I write- but it won't end similarly, or have any other similarities hopefully. I actually got the urn thing from a book that I read, "The Bogart" by Susan Cooper. The Bogart likes to sleep in a vase in the library. As the story goes on, I (spoiler! Warning!) intend to make Inuyasha less dependent on the urn and become more alive again. I chose the middle of nowhere because it's close to a certain hill with a cave… heh… and because I think that Kagome would run away and be busy instead of being with Inuyasha for the summer (I mean, she doesn't like him in the beginning 'cause he's a big jerk to her), and I needed a reason for her to stay around. I noticed that it came out kinda similar, and I'm not trying to copy rozefire's greatness. I was slightly disappointed when I noticed that I was a failure in originality… (sheepish smile)

And thanks for the constructive criticism! I agree and I think that I could've had Kagome argue differently, and should've. Next time, I'll reread or somn' before I post and fix things. And yes, Sango's here. I just didn't think adding them at the same time (Sango and Miroku) would work out really well. So she's here this chapter! I'll probably end up putting other characters in as the story goes on… Anyway…

Disclaimer: He's not mine, she's not mine, they're not mine and neither are they. None of them are mine.

Haunted

Chapter Three: All Shapes… (and Sizes)

Things had been changing over the last few days, Kagome noted. It had been as if Inuyasha had woken up from a long sleep. And in a way, he had. Kagome had always been able to understand and relate to people and she could see that several lifetimes spent alone would definitely be enough to drain someone of their personality.

He'd become more lively, more belligerent, more outspoken. She grinned slightly as he growled at Shippo, threatening him uselessly as the kid tried to see how far he could push the irate poltergeist before he got really mad and left. Kagome shook her head wearily and picked Shippo up. "Why do you do that?" She asked him with a small smile. Inuyasha looked at her huffily at the treatment Shippo got. Every time **he** tried to annoy Shippo, Kagome always yelled at him. He didn't get it.

"I'm bored!" Shippo complained. After Souta had left the day before to visit some old friend in Tokyo, the bored kid had taken to perching on Miroku's shoulder as he went about his business and commenting on how boring it all was. Miroku had finally gotten sick of it and went into town. "When's Souta coming back?" He looked at Kagome with pleading green eyes.

"The Squirt's coming back in two weeks, Brat." Inuyasha had refused to call Shippo and Souta by their proper names. He preferred to give them degrading nicknames instead. He didn't dare give one to Kagome. She'd yell at him too much, but after careful thought he'd ended calling Miroku "monk" because of his staff and back round.

The three of them turned to look towards the front door as keys jingled on the other side. After a moment, it opened and Miroku stuck his very bruised face through the door. "Oh, Miroku!" Kagome exclaimed. "What happened to your face?" She rushed over while Inuyasha snorted derisively behind her, drifting towards the "monk" less eagerly. She shook her head and rushed to the kitchen for some ice.

"So, who'd you grope **this** time?" Inuyasha drawled lazily, floating towards the weary man with a smirk. Miroku heaved a weary sigh and wiped sweat off his battered brow. Inuyasha raised his eyebrows. "Don't tell me you ran all the way here." He stated incredulously.

"It was a matter of life and death." Miroku declared seriously. "And I wasn't **groping** anybody." He managed to look dignified despite his sweaty and bedraggled appearance. "I was merely expressing my appreciation on the female body through my actions." He wiped his hands on his pants and made his was to the couch. He collapsed onto it with an exhausted sigh.

"You should've been a lawyer, Miroku." Shippo exclaimed seriously. "You're so good with words." He scrambled onto the man's shoulder and tugged on his ear. "So what happened?" He whispered into his ear.

"One of the girls whom I… talked with," Miroku paused for thought, wondering how he could rephrase the incident. "She had someone else with her who was involved with her. I didn't see him." He admitted.

"And just after your other bruises faded." Kagome shook her head reprovingly. "You'll never catch anyone that way." She told him. "Going up to someone and asking them to 'bear your child' and giving their but a rub is only going to make people mad." She tucked a wayward strand of blue-black hair behind her ear and crossed the room to give him the ice pack.

"I'll take your word for it, miss Kagome." His violet eyes wandered from Kagome's face to her chest. Kagome noticed and placed an arm protectively over her, hitting him lightly on the head with a newspaper that had been sitting on the small table next to the couch.

"That's what I mean!" She told him angrily as a certain angry poltergeist placed himself in front of the girl.

"Watch it, monk." He snarled. Amber started to leak into his eyes just like whenever he experienced strong emotion.

When he and Kagome had a big fight several days ago over whether or not she was going back to Tokyo with Souta and her mother, the color and flooded out of his eyes and into his face. When the fight had escalated and they two of them had stormed out of the room, shouting and hollering insults at each other, the color had seeped down to his neck and hair, turning it a snowy bluish-white. It had gotten as far as his shoulders, staining the fabric of his haori bright red when Kagome turned around and stared. The strange incident had ended the vicious fight immediately when Kagome rushed him to a mirror to stare and neither of them had mentioned it since. That night Kagome had stated at that she decided that she didn't want to spend another six hours in the car with Souta, and that had been the end of that.

"And yet again I'm harassed by the jealous boyfriend." Miroku muttered, seemingly irritable. But there was a bright spark of mischief twinkling in his purple eyes that made him look eerily like Shippo. Said master of mischief cackled in a very evil way and he tugged on Miroku's ear, carefully avoiding the several gold hoops as he whispered.

This time the color leaked from the spluttering poltergeist's cheeks in a blush that rivaled Kagome's. "But I-" Inuyasha protested.

"What?" Kagome interrupted him. They turned to each other and brown eyes met grayish-gold for a moment before both turned away, blushing furiously. Kagome moved off the to hallway, muttering incoherently about bathrooms

Inuyasha, in the matter of poltergeists, vanished wordlessly into thin air, leaving behind a few wisps of grey smoke and the faint scent of rain. Miroku started in surprise and Shippo stared at the grey smoke. "Did… did he just… go poof?" Shippo waved his hands in the air vaguely and overbalanced, toppling off of Miroku's shoulder and onto the couch.

"I didn't know he could do that…" Miroku said mildly. He **was** a poltergeist, after all. And if he remembered his legends right, than those sorts had all sorts of tricks up their sleeves. He frowned. And they weren't able to change color…

(.•)

( )

Several miles away, a girl in her late teens paid for her coffee and left a small café similar to the one Miroku had left about a week ago. Oddly enough, she was headed for the same place, too.

( )(For those of you who are wondering, the thing on his head is a top hat. Yup.)

Well, that was embarrassing, Kagome thought to herself as she lay on her bed as she often did when thinking deeply about something. She lay on her bed for a while, just thinking, Her mind wandered from Souta to her cat as she looked up at the white ceiling, but her mind was mostly on Inuyasha and Miroku. It was the kind of thing he'd say, she thought wryly. After meeting him a few days ago, she felt like she'd known him all her life. He was very predictable in his actions and comments. Inuyasha, on the other hand… She never really knew what he thought or felt unless he wanted her to, and then usually it wasn't something good. So how **did** he feel…? She cut off her train of thought abruptly and sat up. "I'm going for a walk." She announced to her empty room.

Kagome opened the door to her room and shut it softly behind her. She walked down the carpeted hallway and towards the living room, intent on leaving through the back door and go for a walk when she suddenly decided to change direction. She was going to take a look in the ballroom.

After her initial visit to the faded yet magnificent room, she hadn't been back. She turned down another hallway and down a flight of stairs. Kagome moved hesitantly towards the doors and rested her hand on the worn brass handle for a moment. Maybe she should go for a walk after all…

Kagome tucked her hair behind her ear and gave the door a gentle push. It creaked open with a weary sigh and dust motes flitted through the air. Kagome nervously tucked her hair behind her ear again and stepped inside. The air was still, the dust motes floating lazily and catching the rays of sunlight that came through the large windows on the opposite end of the room. It was so quiet, so peaceful.

Kagome took a slow breath and closed her eyes for a moment. Her gaze swept across the room a second time, taking everything in and frowned at the bookcases. The first time she'd been in the room she'd been too taken away by the splendor of the room to really notice the strangeness of them. Why would anyone want bookcases in a ballroom? Maybe some former owner had been converting the room into a library, but had to leave abruptly. Very abruptly, she noted as she looked at all the stuff that littered the floor. A hammer, a saw, lots of wood and sawdust.

Kagome gingerly picked up one of the boards, wary of splinters, and dragged it to one of the far corners of the room, the dust swirling in the air as she did so. She was going to clean the place up.

( • )

Kagome dusted her hands off on her skirt. "Well, that turned out nicely," She remarked. Her voice echoed in the large empty room and she stretched, back cracking as her hands stretched towards the distant ceiling. Placing her hands on her hips, she surveyed the room critically. She had moved all the wood and tools to one corner, leaving the faded wooden paneling bare. Kagome cast a reproving eye on the floor. Parts of it had kept its original color, where the wood and tools had lain for so long, protected from the sun. "Oh, well…"

"That's not a good sign." Kagome jumped, and there was Inuyasha, the dying sunlight filtering through him as he floated in front of the window.

"Huh?" She asked. She stood up from her position on the floor. "What do you mean?" She puzzled, tucking her hair behind her.

"Talking to yourself." He explained, shoving his hands in his wide sleeves. "It's a sign of craziness." He looked up from the floor and flashed her a fanged grin.

Shielding her eyes to look at him, Kagome replied absently, "It can't be too bad. I mean, lots of people talk to themselves, you know?"

"Huh." He replied. Inuyasha followed her into the darker part of the room. Kagome sat down, her back to an unfinished bookcase.

She looked up at him and patted the wood next to her. "Come sit down." She invited. He raised his eyebrows at her and she rephrased her invitation. "Come… float down." She tried with a rueful grin. He snorted.

They sat in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company. The silence stretched between them, and Kagome took a deep breath and exhaled. The sun sank lower and the room grew darker. And still they sat, thinking. Kagome finally broke the silence, her voice echoing back in a lonely way. "It's so… peaceful…" She breathed, eyes closed. "Don't you think, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha turned his head to look at the girl next to him. In fading golden light of the dying sun, golden dust motes drifted around her head. The sunlight clung to her long eyelashes and framed her profile. Her bluish-black hair was framed with the soft light, a small happy smile on playing gently on her lips. Her posture radiated contentment. "…Yeah…" His voice was soft, and his eyes matched the color of the sunset. With her eyes closed, she didn't notice how long he watched her as she drifted into a deep sleep, feeling content and safe.

And with him looking at her, he didn't know that his skin now matched hers, and his haori and pants were red.

(• .)

( )

Today, she decided, is most definitely the worst day of my life. A number of unhappy memories stirred to life in her head, and she promptly changed her mind. Not the worst, she negotiated, but one of the worse ones. With her luck, the Higurashi residence would be unwilling to take her in, and she'd have walked about tem miles for nothing. Heaving a heavy sigh, she found Priestess Lane. She dragged her feet wearily down the narrow street, her worn backpack taking on more weight with every step. The sun had set, and she had only the lights of the houses she passed to see by.

She turned her head at the sound of a child's delighted laughter, so much like her younger brother's… She shook her head, dislodging two teardrops and the painful memories that came with her brother. But she wasn't crying because of that, really, Sango realized. She was exhausted. She'd walked ten miles with her few possessions on her back. She'd been nearly run over twice, had to go to the bathroom in the bushes, and had barely enough money to pay for a cup of coffee, all that she'd had to eat or drink for the day. Eight or nine people had asked her with false concern if she was all right. She snorted bitterly. They could care less. She brought her hand to her forehead to wipe off some of the grime accumulated by the long walk. And she really needed a shower…

All of it was weighing down on her. She didn't know how she'd get on if she was turned away. Running was not in Sango's nature, but that's precisely what she'd done. Of course, seeing something so traumatizing as all the blood, the way everything was smashed, and her little brother's face as he spoke for the last time, in barely a whisper… "Sango…" And he smiled. She never should've gone in.

After seeing the strange symbol in green spray paint on her door and the windows smashed, she should've known. But she had to check. And they weren't gone when she'd entered the house. She had shallow cuts all over, and a large stab in her upper arm and there was glass in her foot still. She'd fought back with everything she had. And she beat them up severely. It was what they deserved. After the first two were dead, the other four left her to collapse on the floor next to her brother and hug his body. It was stiffening slowly. It all rushed to her head at once and she stared at the formerly clean and orderly room. The walls were splattered with blood, and the carpet soaked with the stuff. It was drying. That's when Sango realized she no longer had any reason to stay.

So she dropped his cold dead body on the red carpet. She'd rushed out, tears brimming in her eyes, only her stubborn strength keeping her from collapsing then and there. One couldn't blame her, could they? Sango pressed her palms against her face. It was too much to bear. Not like this. She'd held it in for days, the rage, the pain. She should go back, and kill the other two. She should kill their whole wretched gang, and she probably could too. But she was so tired… And the way things were going now, it couldn't get any worse right? She managed a brief choking laugh that bubbled into quiet sobs. At the same time, it wasn't going to get any better… She knew better than that.

( •)

.( )

Shippo heard the noise first. "Miroku, do you hear that?" He asked the purple-eyed man as he scrubbed dishes.

"I don't hear anything, Shippo." Miroku said with a tired sigh. True, he **had** agreed to help around the house in order to stay, but he didn't like getting stuck with dishes duty. He hated dishes. After dinner, Kagome went immediately up to her room without a word, looking slightly sleepy and complaining of a backache from sleeping against a bookshelf, which he found rather odd. Naturally, Inuyasha couldn't do them and he hadn't even come to dinner, and Shippo was too small. Mr. Higurashi had tottered off to look through the old scrolls left in the house some more- he'd been buried in them since the second day they'd moved in, and Buyo had refused.

"Don't you hear that?" Shippo squirmed agitatedly on Miroku's shoulder. "It's so sad." His green eyes stared into Miroku's purple ones pleadingly. "Make it go away, please make it go away," He babbled, emerald eyes darting to and fro. His small hands dug into Miroku's shirt.

Seeing how jittery the kid was, Miroku wearily put down the soapy pan and rinsed off his hands. "Where is it?" He asked. There was probably nothing there. Shippo pointed a small finger waveringly in the direction of the sidewalk.

"There," he whispered, now clinging so tightly to Miroku's shirt that in almost hurt. "Do you think it's a ghost? It sounds so sad, like the Mu'onna, the Nothing Woman, who wanders around looking for her lost children…" Shippo shuddered.

"That' just a myth." Miroku said firmly, then frowned. He did hear something, but it was so soft that he was surprised that Shippo had heard it from the kitchen with the tap on. He looked at the kid with new respect. "You have remarkable hearing, Shippo." He informed the quaking child.

"Just make it stop!" Shippo whispered frantically. He scuttled around to the back of Miroku's shirt. He winced as the small hands clung to his skin and he pulled the small child off and held him in the crook of one arm.

"Hello?" Miroku opened the door and looked out into the dark of night. "Anyone there?" He heard a sniff from the sidewalk to the side of the house, and he looked out into the night. "Hello?" He tried again. "See, Shippo? He looked at the child in his arms. "There's no one there. But I could've sworn…" He peered into the night again.

A quiet sniff came from the darkness again and Shippo eyes widened. He scrambled out of Miroku's hold and towards the sound, the gravel of the walk pattering under his small feet. "Are you okay?" He asked with the sincere concern and compassion hat only children seem capable of.

A quiet voice sighed wearily. "I'll live." The words were bitter, forced. Miroku walked down the path as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. The voice was definitely feminine…

Miroku came upon a young woman roughly his age, the weariness surrounding her aging her beyond her years. She sat on the ground, her back against the wooden fence Wordlessly, Miroku offered her his hand with a smile. With a grateful and embarrassed smile, the grimy –but very attractive- young woman rose to her feet. "Ugh." She shook her head. "I'm a mess."

With the light from the house revealing her state, Miroku realized with shock that it was very much the truth. There was dried blood on her shirt and hands and the knees of her worn pants. Her long brown hair was tangled and magenta eyeliner was smeared. Her eyes were slightly puffy, but she presented herself with dignity. She subconsciously hefted her backpack on her back and cleared her throat. "Is this the Higurashi residence?" She asked bluntly, choosing to ignore the way that both child and adult stared blatantly at her appearance.

"Oh, of course." Miroku hurried up the walk, the exhausted girl trailing behind. "I'll go get a room set up." He offered over his shoulder as he raced up the stairs for the closet. Shippo trotted ahead and turned to give her an encouraging toothy smile. Sango smiled in spite of herself.

The smile disappeared off her face as soon as the kid turned around. Thank gods he hadn't asked about her appearance or tried to chat, Sango though wearily. She just wanted to sleep. She could face the rest of them tomorrow. She entered the house and made her way slowly up the stairs, forgetting to close the door behind her.

The little kid was waiting for her at the top. Mindlessly she followed him as he led her into an empty room where the dark-haired man- she hadn't even asked his name, she thought with grim humor- struggled with the sheets. He flashed Sango a charming smile. "I'll have this ready in a moment…" He tossed them over the bed haphazardly, but Sango could care less. She just needed to sleep. Then a shower, then food… She couldn't think beyond that. The man left the room and Sango collapsed on the bed, immediately asleep.

( ) (Rabbit butt! Heh heh.)

Inuyasha frowned. Blood. It was old, probably dry by now, but it alarmed him very much. It was coming from the house. He sniffed again. It wasn't Kagome's, Maybe Miroku or Shippo? He moved towards the house from the woods faster, concern turning his eyes amber. The calmer part of his mind reminded him that the smell was old, the blood long dried, but he didn't care. He swooped through the outer walls and followed the scent. It wasn't coming from Kagome's room- where Shippo slept now that Souta and Mrs. Higurashi were in Tokyo- and Miroku's room was in the other direction. Curiosity overcame concern and he followed the scent. Then he recognized that it was two different scents, one female, the other male. He slowly drifted through the door, afraid of what he'd find. Kagome? It wasn't her blood scent, but the two scents were so mixed. He didn't realize that his hands were shaking or that color was sweeping down his neck towards his chest with concern. He **knew** he shouldn't have left her all alone in that room… Taking a deep breath, he stuck his head through the door, afraid of what he'd find.

It wasn't Kagome. It was someone else, older. The blood on her was definitely old, and she was breathing. She was alive, and not likely to die very soon. He drifted closer, curious. So they'd taken in another stray, had they? He shook his head. That was no way to earn money. Suddenly the figure sprang into life, leaping of the bed in an athletic feat that surprised Inuyasha greatly. She grabbed the pack and swung it at him, hard. If he'd been of flesh and blood, he'd probably be knocked out of the floor right now, he thought with amusement. So there were some good in being a poltergeist.

The girl gaped at him. "What-?" She tried again, punching at his face. Inuyasha didn't move. He didn't have to. He floated higher in the air and stuffed his arms in his sleeves, impatiently waiting for her to get it. "I'm sorry, Kohaku!" The girl's voice was raspy. "I **will** avenge you! I'll kill all of those filthy bastards-"

"I think you've got the wrong ghost." Inuyasha said flatly. "I'm Inuyasha. And I don't need avenging." He told her with a snort. "I can avenge myself, thanks."

The bloody girl stared at him. "What are you doing here, then?" She asked quite calmly, sitting down heavily on the bed, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion. "I need to sleep…" Her head tilted towards her chest and she yawned.

"I live here," he retorted. "Now, what are **you** doing here?" He asked. She was falling asleep as she answered, falling back against the bed.

"I'm sleeping…" And she was, landing against the bed softly, asleep even before her head hit the pillow. Inuyasha shook his head, leaving the girl to her rest. It was night, after all. Everyone was asleep…

He could still smell the blood. It made him uneasy, and he wandered about the grounds uneasily. Hell, why didn't he just go a little farther this time? He'd never left the property, actually. He'd never had any reason to. Purposefully, he moved out of the shed and towards the house. He was just going to check to make sure everything was okay before he left, and then he'd be off, he decided. The incident with the other girl had gotten him all concerned about the residents in the house… He popped his head in Miroku's room briefly. Still breathing. The old man's room. **Definitely** still breathing. He could hear it from the hallway. The senior snored like a vacuum cleaner. Last, but certainly not least was Kagome's room. He drifted through the wall to watch the sleeping girl. But only to make sure she's okay, he told himself. But he knew she was okay when he'd stuck his head in. He floated cross-legged next to the bed, taking in the way her eyelids fluttered in sleep, her hair messily fanned out around her head. Shippo gave a little snort and curled up into a smaller ball next to her head. A pair of glowing green, slit-pupiled eyes blinked at him from the end of the bed. He tensed, but it was only Buyo. "Everybody sleeps here, don't they?" He murmured. Naturally, the cat didn't reply.

"Inuyasha…" He turned to look at the sleeping girl again, startled and slightly embarrassed to be caught in her room in the middle of the night. But he wasn't caught. She was sleeping. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Inuyasha…" She murmured again. He stared at her intently, willing her to inadvertently explain her dream to him. "Don't…" He leaned closer to catch every word. "We love Shippo. Don't kill 'im." The poltergeist huffed. It was always about Shippo, wasn't it? Tossing one fleeting glance over his shoulder, he moved through the window and off the property for the first time in five hundred years.

The air grew heavier, more oppressive as he moved farther from the house. He was sinking towards the ground. Struggling to rise into the air again before he disappeared into the ground, he desperately tried to will himself to go higher, like he normally did. But it was so tiring. He started to sink helplessly towards the ground. Hell, he'd probably sink **through** it and end up stuck in the ground.

He struggled feebly. It felt as if a giant hand was pressing down on him, trying to squeeze him into oblivion. He turned around, trying desperately to get back on the property. Inuyasha dragged himself back to the property boundary. Heaving a sigh of relief, he tried to put his head in his hands. He stared at them. His hands… the were all faded, more so then normal. Inuyasha reminded himself never to cross that property line again.

(•.•)

( • )—

Sango woke to find the same man from last night enter her room with a large box labeled "First Aid". She sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes. "I'll do it myself, thanks." She said politely. No way she was having a complete stranger clean her up.

"Oh, I insist." He smiled charmingly. "Oh, I'm Miroku, by the way." He added, hastily putting the big white box on the beige carpet and offering a hand.

Sango took it warily and used it to get up out of bed. He seemed charming… too charming. "I'd rather do it myself." She said. "I'm Sango. Akutagawa Sango." She let go of his hand, but he seemed to be unwilling to let go himself. After a few awkward moments debating her plan of action as the overly-charming Miroku kept hold of her hand, she said firmly, "Let go."

"Hmm?" Miroku tried to stall, giving her hand a squeeze. Sango twisted her hand out of his grasp. And stepped back.

"Never mind." She waited patiently for him to realize that he wasn't wanted anymore. "Ahem." He smiled and bowed before leaving the room. Sango snorted. "What a flirt…" She started to lift her shirt, then turned sharply. "And close that door!"

Wordlessly, the door closed tightly. Sango stepped deliberately towards it and locked it with a click. He was definitely more than a flirt. He was a completely perverted flirt. She inspected the cuts in the mirror and decided to wash them out before bandaging them. She turned to inspect the room. "Where are the towels…?" She asked the room.

She jumped, startled when the answer came through the door. "They're in the closet. I'll go get you one." Ugh.

"What will it take before you leave me alone?" She asked. He didn't answer, probably because he was getting her a towel. She suddenly snapped her fingers.

"If he does anything to that towel…" She growled out, gingerly straightening her shirt and picking up the kit and her backpack. She unlocked and opened the door, wondering where the bathroom was.

"Hello!" The ginger-haired kid from last night popped out from the hallway and sat near her feet. "What happened to you?" He asked, bright green eyes boring into her weary and sorrowful brown ones.

"A lot of stuff happened…" Miroku was forgotten for the moment as she remembered. She turned abruptly to look down the hallway. "Can you tell me where the bathroom is?" She looked at the kid again.

"Sure!" The small child bounced eagerly. "Follow me!" He led her down the hallway at a trot that Sango easily kept up. "What's your name?" He looked back at her as he skipped down the hallway, nearly bumping into a large fat cat.

"Kirara!" Sango suddenly stopped. She'd left her cat… If they hadn't killed her too… Sango followed the kid again.

"Kirara?" The boy asked. "I'm Shippo." He stopped as abruptly as Sango had a few moments ago and stuck out a small hand.

"Oh, no, I'm Sango." She corrected and leaned down slowly to shake Shippo's hand. "Kirara's my cat." Was my cat…

"That one's Buyo." Shippo pointed over his shoulder at the obese feline lying in the hallway. "He's really stupid and fat." The small boy informed her sincerely. "He only moves if you annoy him or if he wants food."

"Sango!" Miroku's call rang from the other side of the house. "Where are you? The bathroom's over here!" His voice echoed distantly.

"Shippo?" Sango asked incredulously. The ginger-haired child twiddled his thumbs nervously. "Where am I going?"

"Umm…" Shippo hummed. "to the bathroom…" He trailed off as Miroku's voice rang out again, this time to penalize Shippo.

"Shippo! Bring her back!" Who to trust? A guilty-looking kid, or a perverted flirt of a lecher? This was going to be tough…

"Shippo," Sango said wearily. "Where are you **really** taking me?" Shippo brought himself to his full height.

"To the bathroom!" He replied indignantly. "I told you twice already!" Miroku crashed down a flight of stairs to appear in front of the pair. He picked up Shippo and held the kid up by one foot.

"Shippo…" He said sternly. "Where were you taking her? Tell the truth." Miroku swung the child right side up and stared at him accusingly.

"The bathroom…" He fidgeted and avoided Miroku's gaze. He continued to stare, and Shippo burst out, "The bathroom! The long way!"

Miroku sighed and shook his head, dropping Shippo in an undignified heap on the ground. He looked at Sango. "Don't trust Shippo. Ever."

"Hey!" Said child squealed in defense. "I'm trustworthy! I'm more trustworthy that you!" Miroku looked at him again.

"I doubt that." He replied and nodded to Sango to follow him. "The bathrooms with are all on the second floor." He told her as they scaled the stairwell. "The one on the first floor is smaller." He turned to look at her and indicated for her to go first. Sango shook her head and he shrugged, continuing down the hallway.

"Here we are…" He opened the door and Sango dropped the first aid kit and her backpack on the tiled floor. Again she waited for him to leave after a few moments, then pushed him out and slammed the door in his face.

With a disappointed sigh, the lecherous man moved away from the door and started to move down the hallway. "Problems?" A familiar voice cackled overhead. Miroku looked up to find a frazzled poltergeist above him.

"What happened to **you**?" He asked curiously and evaded the question. "It looks like you got caught in a wind storm." Inuyasha snorted.

"None of your business, monk." He replied and floated through the ceiling. Perverted thoughts drifted through Miroku's mind and he grinned. "And it's not what you think!" A muffled and irate comment drifted through the ceiling from where the poltergeist had gone.

After staring at the ceiling for a moment, Miroku ventured a question. "So what's up there, anyway?" A rude snort was all he got for a reply.

(• -•)

( )

Although the shower was slightly painful, Sango felt much better after taking it. Now only did she fell cleaner physically, she almost felt as if she had more control over her life and her emotions. Certainly she was still mad. She was furious and still in pain. But the pain had lessened from an outright agony to a dull steady ache, and the burning and passionate anger had steadied to a calm patient fury. With clean clothes and rest, she felt more confident.

In short, Akutagawa Sango was feeling more like her old self and less like the poor bedraggled person she'd been only half an hour ago. She toweled her long brownish-black hair one more time and brushed it. She tucked the fluffy white towel under her arm and picked up the backpack and first aid kit, it's supplies now significantly diminished. She unlocked the bathroom door and left it, a completely different person.

Now that she was herself in a relative way again, Sango left the bathroom slightly uneasy. For all his relative kindness- and perverted lecherousness- Miroku was not a member of the Higurashis she'd been seeking out. She'd probably gotten the wrong family, but maybe they'd let her stay. She shrugged to herself and decided to worry about it later. She continued down the hall, looking one was then another for any sign of a landmark in the giant house. Because of her strange way of getting to the bathroom, she had no way to find her room. "Hello?" She called out, feeling slightly weird about asking directions to a room inside a house. "Anyone there?" She tried again. The house must be a little bigger than she first thought…

"Hello?" A voice called out cautiously. It wasn't Miroku, and Sango wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "Hello?" The feminine voice asked again, just as Sango had. "You aren't playing tricks again, are you Inuyasha?" This time the voice was slightly reprimanding. "It's kinda early in the morning for that- oh my god!" Sango hurried towards the voice. "Ten **already**!"

A dark-haired and sleep-rumpled girl stood in the doorway of her room, staring with bleary brown eyes at her watch. Sango waved cautiously. Definitely the wrong Higurashis, unless she was a houseguest. "Hi." Sango waved at the girl. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and blinked a bit more. "I'm Sango."

"Oh, hello." The girl replied. "I'm… umm…" She put a hand over her face. "Gods…" It came out muffled. "I forgot my name!" She laughed. After a moment, she said abruptly, "Kagome. I'm Kagome." Kagome shook her head. "Wow…"

Sango grinned slightly at the confused girl who lifted her hand from her face and addressed Sango. "Are you another houseguest? You must've arrived last night then. My mom's gone right now, but I'm sure you could stay until then to arrange something." Kagome said vaguely. She wandered back into her room to get dressed.

"Wait!" Sango remembered her original problem. "Where is everything?" She asked and shrugged helplessly.

Kagome looked down the hall and gestured as she spoke. "Just keep going down the hall until you reach the stairs." Sango nodded. "Then, don't go down them. Turn left and when you reach the other stairs go down those and you'll be in the living room. From there, you should hear people eating. Or cleaning up, seeing as how it's ten already…" Kagome grumbled the last bit to herself as she closed the door behind her.

(O.o)

( )

Upon arriving at the kitchen with few mistakes- Kagome's directions, although given rather quickly, proved very helpful- Sango discovered that Kagome had been right. Miroku was washing the dishes and grumbling about it as Shippo sat on his shoulder and tugged on his ear. "…me who gets stuck doing the dishes? Mr. Higurashi never does anything except eat and complain about my cooking and then tells me to clean up the mess I made. It can't be **that** bad if he eats it. All the old man ever does is sit in his room." Shippo started to tug frantically on the man's ear. "Ow! Shippo, what are you-" Shippo grabbed his nose and Miroku flinched as he turned his head quite forcefully to look at Sango. "Oh, hello!" His entire demeanor changed as he turned on the charm. "You're looking quite healthy today, Sango." His eyes roved over her clean and better-attired form.

Just as Kagome had, Sango placed on arm protectively over her chest and whacked him over the head with the first aid kit, which she was still carrying. As his purple eyes came back into focus, Sango asked him, "Where's my room and where does the first aid kit go?"

Miroku's eyes reluctantly focused on her face instead of her chest. "Would you like some breakfast first?" Sango suddenly noticed the strong ache in her stomach. She put the first aid kit and her worn backpack on the ground next to the nearest chair.

"That would be wonderful." She said gratefully. In response, Miroku merely grinned and tried to keep his eyes on her face. Miraculously, he succeeded.

Shippo scrambled off of Miroku's shoulder and hopped onto the table. "So what happened? How long are you staying?" As he turned to get some food from the refrigerator, he noticed the subtle changes in Sango's posture and attitude. Her eyes, once warm and calm shifted away to look at her bloodstained pack. They were now cold and angry, with loss and anguish hidden deeply in them Miroku could tell because that expression used to grace his own features. Sango tensed and her eyes rested on Shippo. Shippo stared back, confused. What had he done?

"My family was murdered." She spat. "I left." There. She'd said it. Now the kid would leave, and there'd be an awkward pause between her and Miroku until he tried to be sympathetic. And she'd see right through it, the sympathetic eyes and the pat on the back. The murmured regrets for some people they never knew.

But that's not what happened. Shippo's eyes became sorrowful as he looked into hers. "My Pa died. So did my Ma." He told her. "I was really, really sad for a long time," He explained. "and I still miss them." Miroku's eyebrows rose. It just goes to show, you learn something new every day.

Miroku pulled out a plate and set it on the counter with a small clinking sound. Two pairs of eyes turned to him, and he shrugged. If they were expecting him to reveal all the sorrows of his life, they were sadly mistaken. He turned back to the task at hand, and Sango eyes rested on him a little, calculating.

(• . •) (Someone's getting' a little chubby…)

( • )

Kagome clattered down the stairs, followed more sedately by a certain obese feline. "Hi!" She greeted the silent table. All of them looked up at her, and Kagome suddenly felt very out of place in her own home. There was a pause, and then Shippo launched himself at her.

"Hi, Kagome!" He greeted cheerfully. "You're just in time for the second breakfast." He grinned at the confusion that crossed the girls face. She then looked at Miroku, who shrugged from his position over the stove as he prepared one of his "concoctions". Sango did the same.

Kagome patted the ginger-haired boy on the head and took a seat at the table. "Good morning." She greeted Sango. Shippo pulled on her hair gently, and she turned her head to look at him. "Good morning, Shippo." She told him solemnly. The kid grinned.

"Food's done." Miroku announced. Sango got up, plate in hand. One of Miroku's hands found its way to her rear, and Sango put the plate down to hit him on the head with the first thing that came to hand- in this case, a pan on the dish rack. Miroku reeled away with unfocused eyes. "Enjoy your meal…" He sat down on the chair next to Kagome, who shook her head at Miroku's antics.

"He never learns…" Kagome told Sango. "He always ends up getting slapped or attacked by a boyfriend. We can't go out into town anymore with him!" Sango sat down, only to leap up again when she felt Miroku's hand on the seat. She hefted the frying pan again, and swung. It was the beginning of a long and painful- on Miroku's part- relationship.

AN: It just goes to show, when listening to depressing music, don't write! Sango's story ended up a little more tragic than I thought it would…

On another note: Okay, I lied. I didn't look this over before posting. I'm sorry! I hope it's okay, though. Thanks for reading!


	5. Regrets and Regress

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anybody in any way, and I know it. In fact, this makes me rather upset. But let's just pretend I do, 'kay?

Haunted

Chapter Five: Regrets and Regress

Fifty years ago, Miyagi Kagura was a normal mortal. Well, not exactly normal, She was rich and independent, proud and strong. She'd headed and profited from many archeological expeditions. Fifty years ago, archeology had been about searching for treasure, getting rich. And ironically, it was what had caused an abrupt end to her life.

(• . •)

( • )

"Boo!" Mr. Higurashi blinked and looked up from his reading. Shippo stood before him, one of Souta's old plastic water guns in hand and a smile of anticipation gracing his features.

The old man blinked. "What is it that you want?" He ventured after a moment. Shippo just stood there a disappointed look on his face. He lowered the pistol and hung his head dejectedly. Walking back into the house from where Mr. Higurashi sat in the garden, he walked in on Miroku and Sango.

As would be expected, Sango was just leaving, looking rather upset as she stormed away. Almost as an afterthought, her head popped out from around the doorway to yell at Miroku. "I hope **that** teaches you!"

If it was possible to have a skull of titanium or an equally powerful alloy, Miroku was one of the specially gifted. Not only did he take Sango's punishments in stride, but he didn't seem much worse off for it. The violet-eyed man was reclining on the couch, one hand to his head and eyes unfocused. He turned to Shippo with a wince. "I don't think that that was really necessary." He informed the child.

"What'd she hit you with?" Shippo asked. After four days of similar behavior from both of them, he'd grown quite accustomed to their antics. She'd hit him from everything from the nearest newspaper to throwing rocks at him when they'd been outside. Nevertheless, Shippo thought, they seemed to be relatively companionable otherwise.

"She brutally attacked me with my own staff," Miroku replied mournfully, pointing at the long golden rod on the ground where Sango had left it. "And that's a priceless family heirloom!" He exclaimed. "She probably bent it with all he force she used to brutalize me."

"If anything bent it, it was probably your iron head." The scathing remark came from above Miroku's head. Both he and Shippo looked up to see Inuyasha floating above them.

"Your cruel remarks deeply wound me, Inuyasha." Miroku sighed regretfully at the poltergeist. Inuyasha floated lower until his feet were almost touching the ground. He snorted and Shippo idly aimed the water pistol at him. Naturally, the stream went right through him and onto the carpet. Inuyasha growled, and made a swipe at the kid. Just as naturally, he didn't touch him.

It wasn't that he couldn't feel the water as it passed through him- he could, in a vague way. It was like a sort of tickling almost, a strange sensation that made him want to shudder. It was unpleasant, but not painful. It was as if he knew that something was touching him, going through him, but he couldn't really feel it. He was numb. And it was just another thing to remind him that he wasn't really alive at all. He growled and made another swipe at Shippo in frustration. When was Kagome coming back…?

(• .•)

( )

She wanted to go home. She just wanted to go home. She didn't want to sit out underneath the awning of the shop and eat her ice cream. She didn't want to be listening to Hojo prattle on about what she was missing at "home" and how everybody missed her. "Kagome?"

She was startled out of her reverie by his voice. "What?" Hojo was nice, but so… dull in comparison to the vivid personalities currently occupying her house. She found herself wondering what they were doing right now…

"Kagome?" Hojo asked again, sounding slightly concerned now. "Are you all right?" Kagome looked away from her ice cream and at her "date".

"I'm sorry!" She apologized. "I just spaced out for a moment. What were you saying?" She focused her attention at him.

"Are you feeling okay, Kagome?" He asked seriously. "Maybe we should go inside. It's cooler there." Kagome shook her head at his proposal.

"I'm okay." She said. "What was it you were saying?" She asked again and took a large spoonful of ice cream. And so, Hojo went on another monologue on Tokyo, and Kagome found herself reliving the incidents that led her here in the first place…

(0.0)

( )

Earlier that day:

"Hello?" Kagome walked into the living room and answered the phone. It was Eri, one of her close friends from Tokyo.

"Hey, Kagome!" The other girl replied from the other end. "What's up? How's the new house?" Kagome grinned and sat on the couch and prepared for a long conversation.

"Not a lot, Eri." She responded. "The house is pretty cool. It's pretty old and big, and Grandpa keeps getting lost because he spends all his time in his room." She grinned. The senior only left his room to eat, use the restroom, and get more to read. What he was reading, she had no idea.

"Sounds pretty boring." Her friend commented. Inuyasha drifted through the sliding glass door and into the room. He moved into a cross-legged position a few feet above the ground and floated around the room.

"Nah, it's not too boring." Kagome said. And it really wasn't. There was Shippo and Miroku, Sango and Inuyasha… Between the five of them, herself included, life was actually pretty interesting. "We've got some people renting rooms,"

"What's that like?" Kagome watched as one of Inuyasha's ears flicked in her direction. She wasn't sure about how good his hearing was… was he eavesdropping?

"Pretty interesting," She admitted with a grin. "We've got a kid named Shippo, he's a real mischief maker, and then Miroku was next-" She broke off as Eri asked her to describe them.

"Well, Shippo's really cute," She admitted. A white ear flicked towards her again, and the poltergeist frowned just as whenever she complemented Shippo. Inuyasha **was** eavesdropping! With an irritated frown, she waved for him to leave. He rolled his eyes and drifted slowly through the wall to another room. "He's about eight he says, but he's so small that I think he's probably about six or five."

"What about Miroku?" Eri asked. To someone on the other end, Eri said, "Not, now Mom. I'm on the phone. Kagome. Yeah, she moved."

"Anyway," Kagome resumed. "Miroku's about twenty-ish. I never asked. But he's tall, has purple eyes and black hair that he ties into a ponytail-"

Inuyasha's head drifted closer into the wall to catch what Kagome's friend said. "Ooh! He sounds cute!" The poltergeist shook his head. Girl-talk. How… boring.

"He's nice, but I don't like him **that** way," Kagome replied. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "He's a perverted hormonal maniac! Or at least, he acts like one…"

Inuyasha stayed partially in the wall for what seemed like ages but was probably only half an hour or so. How girls could talk… And about the most uninteresting subjects at that! Who cared who liked whom and who broke up with whom? He certainly didn't, but from the way Kagome answered it sounded as if it was really important…

And that's when the conversation got interesting. "…speaking of Hojo, I heard that he's going to come up and visit you!" Eri giggled excitedly. Inuyasha frowned and stuck his head through the wall to see Kagome's reaction. Fortunately for him, she didn't see him. And she was smiling slightly.

"That's so nice of him!" She said happily. "It'll be so nice to see someone from school again." Her smile became a confused frown as Eri continued. Then she blushed. "I have had a date before, Eri! It's not…" She trailed off with a look of horror on her face. A similar one was on Inuyasha's features.

"Yeah, I'll go…" Kagome replied, slightly dazed. "Yeah, you go tell him. I'll see him on Thursday then, right? What? Tonight!" Eri answered in the affirmative on the other side. "Okay, then." She nodded and looked at the clock on the wall. " Looks like I've got about half an hour, then! You know, you could've told me sooner, Eri. See you later."

"See ya!" The girl's cheerful voice echoed from the phone as Kagome hung up. She sat for a moment, playing with the telephone wire.

With a feeling of injustice and anger, Inuyasha melted through the wall and glowered at the girl. "Hi, Inuyasha." Kagome waved at him and continued fiddling with the wire.

"You're not going." He said flatly and crossed his arms over his chest mulishly. No way in hell was she going on a date with some stupid guy from her old school.

"What?" Kagome asked incredulously. "And who are you to decide that?" She asked. Her expression suddenly became much more angry. "Were you listening to me talk on the phone?"

"That's not the point-" Inuyasha interrupted. The conversation wasn't going where he wanted it to…

"Well, it is now!" Kagome said furiously. "I can't believe you! I was trying to have a nice conversation with my friend who I haven't seen in **months**!" She shook her head hopelessly. "And you, you have the… the **audacity**-" She paused for breath, and the angry poltergeist broke in.

"I told you, that's not what we're talking about!" he growled, yellow eyes flashing and peach cheeks flushing in anger. "**You're NOT going with him**!" Part of Kagome watched in fascination as color oozed from his eyes and started to color in the rest of him. The rest of her was busy arguing with the belligerent poltergeist to notice.

"And why not?" She hissed back. "You don't have any voice in the decision! It's my choice, not yours! You can't control every aspect of my life!"

"And I'm not trying to!" He shouted. "I'm just telling you that you can't go!" The color was turning the fabric over his stomach red, and the tips of his sleeves were vibrant with color. "Why don't you get that!"

"I **do**!" Kagome answered back angrily. "But it's my date, my life, my choice! NOT YOURS!" She paused for breath and the two of them stared at each other hotly. If she'd cared to notice, Kagome would've seen that his pants were the same color as his red haori.

Kagome suddenly turned away and stormed to the front door. She slid on a pair of sandals and opened the door, declaring loudly enough for the entire house, "And I'm going **right now**!"

"You're not going!" Inuyasha howled, but there was nothing he could do. Slowly, the color drained from his spectral form, leaving him upset and frustrated with nothing to do. When Shippo nervously skittered into the living room a few minutes later, Inuyasha would've bit his head off if he could. "What do you want, Brat?" He snarled.

Shippo summoned up his courage and asked tremulously, "Where'd Kagome go?" Bad question. Bad timing. Yellow eyes flashed and Inuyasha pointed towards the door.

"OUT!"

( /) (SOUR APPLE!)

(›‹)

(›‹)

The scrolls. How she hated them, hated finding them. If only she'd passed them by, moved on to something else as she made the bookshelves. If only she hadn't gone underground. If only she'd believed the stories that the scrolls told. The story, written down by a dying priestess as a word of warning to the rest of humanity. If only she'd stopped to think. If only, if only…

If only she hadn't gone into the cave. That's all it led down to really. Just the fact that nothing and no one lived or talked about the little mound of earth that was barely a hill should've dissuaded her. The hate, the malice that was tangible, throbbing in the air as she reached the entrance should've stopped her. The force of it made her nose bleed and her teeth ache. But no. Kagura sneered in self-disgust of the person she had once been. She'd had to be brave, reckless, greedy, and above all, foolish.

So foolish.

She'd been young for an archeologist, in her late thirties. She'd heard a rumor about a house in the middle of nowhere. It was said to have some sort of historical significance, with an old shed in the back and the foundations for a town somewhere in the forest.

Kagura bought the house. After a thorough investigation of the property, she'd decided that the claims by the locals were, to be blunt, absolute bullshit. But, being as resourceful as she was, Kagura just couldn't leave it at that. She decided to sell it. She had the house revamped, the carpets re-laid, the floors repaired. She'd been in the process of building shelves and putting in some old scrolls that she'd found when she discovered the story that changed her life.

Or, to be more exact, destroyed it.

(•.•)

( • )

All in all, the date had gone well, Kagome decided as Hojo bid her goodbye on her doorstep. It hadn't been particularly interesting, but it had been nice to hear about everything that was going on at her old home. She waved as Hojo walked down the street to meet the cab that he'd called earlier. Kagome closed the door and came face to face with an edgy Inuyasha. "Hi…" She greeted.

"How was your date?" He practically spat. His fists were clenched tightly, and there was just a hint of bright amber in smoldering in the depths of his eyes.

"It was okay," She replied warily, unsure of how Inuyasha would respond. She had a feeling that this wasn't going to end well.

"So is he a good kisser?" Inuyasha asked venomously. He turned around, back towards her as Kagome spluttered behind him indignantly.

"I didn't kiss him!" She protested. "And he didn't kiss me!" Inuyasha's back was still to her stubbornly. He was like an infant sometimes…

"Really?" He asked angrily. His ears flicked in agitation, and there was pale rose on the inside of them. "Then why do you stink of him?"

"Huh?" He had a really good nose… "What do you mean? He didn't touch me." Kagome pondered for a moment.

"Oh, really?" His back was still to her, but his hair was turning that snowy bluish-white. "Well, I think you're lying. Why else would you reek of that idiot?"

"Hojo's nice!" Kagome defended. "I mean, he's not very interesting, and he's really oblivious, but he's polite, at least! Unlike you! I'm not lying, either!"

Now the fabric of his haori was a deep blood red. "He's a weak, simpering idiot!" Inuyasha shot back. "And you **are** lying. His stench is… it's all over you!" He did turn around now.

"I'm **not lying**!" Kagome shouted. Wordlessly, Miroku entered the living room, paused for a moment, then went back the way he came with a sigh. "He just let me borrow his jacket!"

"**Liar**! Why in all the hells would you need a jacket in this weather!" Inuyasha yelled back. "And if you think I'm going to believe something that stupid then you're just as idiotic as him!" Sango headed towards the door from outside, then turned around abruptly as she noticed the fight ensuing, just as Miroku had.

"I'm not stupid! You are! He **did** lend me his jacket! I was cold after eating the ice cream!" Kagome all but screeched. She was so mad right now…

"Oh, what a perfect first date!" Inuyasha snorted. "Ice cream! That stuff's as sweet and melty as him, I'm sure!" The tips of his sleeves were turning red as he talked.

Kagome sputtered for a moment. "I **hate** you!" She finally spat. She stomped up the stairs. "Don't you **dare** follow me, you, you big jerk!"

"Who says I want to be anywhere **near** you!" Inuyasha roared. With a violent burst of sparks and thick cloying smoke, he disappeared with a loud bang. Shippo stuck his head into the room. The fire alarm immediately went off.

The poor child took one look and hollered for the only sane adult in the house. "Miroku! Help!" He wailed, then coughed.

Miroku raced into the room, but there was nothing there but thick smoke. He stepped out into the hallway again and took a deep breath, plunging into the room and opening the sliding door to air out all the smoke. He hurried into the kitchen to tie a dishcloth over his face before continuing.

Sango dashed out of the forest and hurried up the hill. "What's going on? I heard the alarm!" She coughed as she inhaled some smoke and Miroku handed her another rag.

"I think Inuyasha got mad." Miroku stated vaguely as the two of them preceded to air out the room.

(v v)

Fifty years ago…

Kagura stood on top of the mound of dirt that no one else dared to touch and snorted. What was so terrible about it? The soil was probably just bad and plants couldn't grow on it. She didn't believe in mysticism or legends. For her, the only truth was science. The woman grinned as she caught sight of what she was looking for.

She headed down the slope and picked up her gear before heading towards a large boulder. She circled the large smooth stone and spotted what she was looking for. Bingo. She scraped the dirt off a dark smooth surface and lifted the piece of slate with a grunt. Kagura dragged the large heavy trap door of sorts over to the side, reconsidering her decision to not hire a team to help her.

Wiping the sweat off her brow, Kagura looked into the dark hole and pulled a flashlight out of her backpack. She pointed the powerful beam of light down the dark tunnel. There were the steps mentioned by the scrolls. She scooted into the small opening and pulled her backpack in after her.

Kagura stared into the darkness, her flashlight illuminating the narrow path ahead of her. Just as the scroll had indicated, there were stones lining the path, but time had worn them smooth and covered them in dirt. So far, so good.

(0.0)

( )

Kagome didn't come down for dinner. When Miroku knocked on her door and asked her if she wanted anything to ear, she replied flippantly, knowing that Inuyasha would hear her. "Oh, I'm not hungry. Hojo treated me quite well. He's so good about those kinds of things." Miroku turned his head to look at the poltergeist, who "just happened" to be passing through the hallway. The spectral figure ground his teeth resentfully.

"Yeah, I'm sure she pigged herself out." He snarled, making sure Kagome would hear him through the door.

"Go away, Inuyasha." Came the scathing reply. "I've got better things to do than argue with you." As a matter of fact, she was lying on her bed and rereading a book.

"Yeah, like daydream about that pathetic fool Hojo." Inuyasha retorted. "I can't help but wonder what he sees in an idiot like you. Of course, he's so stupid, he probably doesn't notice if he's eating ice cream with an eggplant or an annoying whiny bitch."

He was surprised when Kagome simply sighed, instead of blowing up. "Don't you have anything to do, Inuyasha? Or does your whole existence revolve around bothering me?" There was an angry tension behind the remark.

"Well, aren't you the self-centered brat." He sneered as he moved away. "Well, you can just rot into your room until the next millennia." He was halfway down the hallway when Kagome replied so softly that he barely caught what she was saying.

"And **you** probably will." There was no anger behind the remark, not spite or malice. The comment was almost sad, regretful, but it seemed to sting more than any other of the things she'd said thus far.

Probably because it was the truth.

(••)

( )

She gasped in spite of herself. Seeing was believing, and Miyagi Kagura was definitely seeing. This discovery required that she completely reevaluated her beliefs. What else could she do when hundreds of "sacred sutras" which she'd snorted at before were glowing, lighting the entire cave in an unearthly and slightly ominous golden aura? And it was more than that. Some of them were floating in the air.

At that moment, Kagura completely forgot about treasure and money. That was when she stepped into the cave, instinctively avoiding the powerful sutras. As she passed by the ancient spelled paper, the kanji on them would glow brightly as if warning her to stay away. The ache in her bones that had started as she reached the cavern became stronger and pressure seemed to be building up behind her head into the migraine of the century. But still Kagura plodded on. She felt drawn to the tall earthenware earns that sat in the middle of the room, the sutras thickly clustered in the air around them. They were placed far apart, but still in the middle of the large chamber. They were both unpainted and unmarked, but one was the pale brown of beach sand, and the other was the deep ebony of cherry tree wood. In all other ways, they were identical.

Gingerly, slowly, Kagura drew closer to the two urns until she was only inches away from the dark one. Her hand unwillingly strayed towards the edge of the urn between a pair of the sutras. Alarm bells went of in her head. "Don't touch it!" Her instincts screamed, but she was unable to move her hand away.

The golden light suddenly surrounded in a flash that promised death, but when she opened her eyes, blinking spots from her vision, she was still intact. Her hand strayed nearer to the mouth and she struggled to snatch it away. For the first time in her life, Kagura's mind was blank with panic.

And she had good reason to be.

(0.0)

( )

She couldn't sleep. All night, she tossed and turned, her mind unable to relax. All she could think about was their fight that afternoon. Or rather, their two fights. Kagome had no idea of why they'd been fighting. Why did he care if she went on a date with Hojo? She shouldn't be the one feeling guilty. When she'd gotten back, it was clear that Inuyasha was upset. Very, very clear. And when he'd turned around to yell back at her, when she had run up the stairs, furious, she couldn't get the look on his face out of her mind. He was furious. There was nothing new about that. The thing that alarmed and disturbed her so much was that at that moment, his face had been flushed peach and tinged in rose. But that was normal. It was definitely not normal that his eyes stayed the same hollow grey color and the look in them had been almost… pained.

Although Kagome had only known the poltergeist for about a month, she felt as if she'd grown up with him. In a way, she had. When she'd first met him, he was rude, hollow, distant. Now, he was rude, vibrant and lively. She'd seen him change from the depressed hollow shell he had been into a …a… Kagome remembered that she was mad at him. A rude, nasty, violent jerk. That was right. He had no right to decide whom she dated. But the formerly passionate argument had dwindled into a hollow repetition in her mind. Didn't she want to go out with Hojo?

A few weeks ago, she'd jump at the chance. He was nice, polite, friendly, trustworthy, loyal and honest. The perfect boyfriend, or even just friend. Only a few months ago, she would've been excited and joyful, and if she was going to be sleepless, it would be out of exaltation. She remembered a time- with some embarrassment- when she'd nearly idolized Hojo. It had been last year. The once charming and interesting, but tame boy that she'd liked was now boring and lacked variety. What had changed? Hojo talked the same, walked the same, smiled the same. He hadn't changed one bit.

It was she, Kagome who'd changed. Was it really only a few months ago that she'd watched Hojo's every move, every friendship, every girlfriend, with jealousy? She stared up at the ceiling with a growing sense of wonder. Amazing what a month and a half did to ones feelings. What was the saying? "Out of sight, out of mind." She murmured aloud. She shouldn't feel so disappointed. After all, there were still quite a few girls- according to Eri- that would love to go out with the perfect boy. Because really, that's what Hojo was. Good grades, good manners, good looks –not great, she thought critically- good habits. Good catch. Great catch. So why was she feeling so… empty?

Why was she still thinking about Inuyasha?

(•.•)

( • )

Why was he still thinking about Kagome?

An audibly growl echoed out of a certain small urn in a shed. He couldn't sleep. Normally when he popped into his urn, he just went blank, immediately asleep. But lately he'd become more alert, more alive. Although he thought it was great news, there were clearly some side effects. One of them being that he was now unable to sleep.

And he couldn't keep the events of the afternoon out of his head. Feircely, he began thinking about chickens. Unfortunately, all the thoughts he had on the subject were that they were stupid and weak, which got him thinking about that Homo fellow, which got him thinking about Kagome and the argument. If he could, he would've banged his head against the walls of his urn.

He willed away the anger and slight feelings of guilt that swept over him again as he turned his thoughts forcefully on the strange plate with the wacky designs on it that Miroku had used for dinner last night. It had been glazed pottery with blue rings around the edges and a painting of a chicken on it…. Dammit!

Inuyasha had content himself with banging his head against the palms of his hands as once more his thoughts went onto Kagome's angry face and emotional brown eyes… Dammit again.

(• .•')

( )

Sweat gleamed on Kagura's forehead as her hand came closer, closer… A kanji character flashed into life on the urn with roar. This time the magic, it wasn't harmless. Kagura's mind went blank, but this time with pain. She tried to look down at herself to see how badly she was injured, but all was black. She could feel blood trickling down from her abdomen and exhaustion swept over the unfortunate archeologist and she fell to her knees, too weak to even bring her arms up to soften the fall. She tumbled to the ground in a ragged broken heap on the cold dirt. Somehow, one of her hands brushed the urn.

And that was when Kagura the wind witch was born.

( • )

"We need more pickles!" Mr. Higurashi's voice rang through the house. Everybody heard him, but no one answered. "Hello?" The senior tried again. "I said, we need more pickles!" The young man was somewhere out, probably harassing the girl. The old man looked out the window.

That poltergeist fellow was floating about outside. After that fight with his granddaughter, he'd refused to come inside. Kagome had refused to go outside. Good riddance… Mr. Higurashi thought to himself. The two of them hadn't talked for two days. The kid was walking next to the poltergeist, following him around and trying to get him to apologize to Kagome so she'd stop being all mopey. Hmmm… She probably just needed to get out and do something. "Kagome!" He shouted and tucked the scroll he was reading into his sleeve.

The girl reluctantly replied. "Yeah?" She put down the book she was rereading and stuck her head out of her door, reluctant to leave her room. She hadn't since breakfast.

"Kagome!" The senior hadn't heard her. "Kagome? Could you come here?" With a sigh the girl complied, descending slowly down the staircase into the kitchen.

"Yes?" She asked. She noticed the pickle jar in his hand and guessed what he wanted to see her about. "Need more pickles?" She asked.

"How'd you know?" He asked in surprise. She merely shook her head and headed for the front door. "Wait, Kagome!" Her grandfather shouted after her. "Do you know the way to the store?" He stuck his head out of the kitchen.

"Of course!" Well, she had a general idea. Kagome had gone to town several times to get groceries with Miroku and Shippo. She hadn't paid much attention to the direction she was going because she was focused on Miroku and his roving hands. The town was pretty far away, and she knew where it was in a vague way. She'd find her way. She didn't feel like company at the moment.

Mr. Higurashi shrugged and wandered up to his room to read some more.

(0.0)

( )

Kagome was lost. It was getting dark, and she knew that she'd be at the town by now if she had taken the right way. But clearly, she hadn't. She was walking on the side of a road, her feet rubbed raw by her choice of footwear: flip flops. The sun was just starting to sink, and she fought the rising panic that was slowly eating at her. As soon as she realized she was lost, she'd turned around to retrace her steps, but somewhere she'd taken another wrong turn, and now she had no idea of where she was. And she couldn't even ask anyone for help or use of a telephone because she was walking by rice paddies. They were dry with the summer and no one was working in them.

She looked back at the sunset. Was it just her, or did it sink a bit? The panic rose in her and she started to run in what she thought was the right direction. After a few minutes of sprinting, her ragged breath gave out to small sobs. She was very, very lost indeed. And no one even knew that she was gone. Her grandpa- although he was sweet and well-meaning- had surely forgotten by now that he'd sent her out for pickles by now. Everyone else thought that she was moping somewhere and wouldn't be worried until tomorrow. She tripped and sprawled onto the dusty path that she had blindly tuned on to in her panic. She looked back at the sunset and she felt her throat tighten in misery. The bright crescent of orange had nearly disappeared to be replaced with a rainbow hue.

The small ane part of her mind marveled at the beauty of it but the rest of her was in terror. She was in the middle of nowhere with no food and drink. She was desperately cold despite the running in a sleeveless short summer dress that was certainly not meant to be worn in the evening. She was going to sleep in the dark, cold and hungry, She'd probably get mugged or attacked for the little money she had on her for buying pickles. Things didn't look good at all.

Kagome desperately wished for a watch. How long had she been walking? It felt like an eternity, but she was well aware that panic and stress had certainly stretched the way she perceived time.

(••)

( )

Despite Kagome's thoughts on the subject, someone **had** noticed that she was gone. Inuyasha lifted his nose to the air again and his frown deepened. Where was she? Kagome's scent was hours old. If she'd gone for a walk, it was an awfully long walk. But he doubted it. Most people- especially defenseless ones like Kagome- didn't go walking around in the dark. It was just asking for trouble. Little alarms went off in his head and Inuyasha finally swallowed his pride and approached the house.

He melted through the walls and into the kitchen where everyone but Kagome was eating. The alarms trilled louder. "Anyone seen Kagome?" He tried to act casual, but the flickering in his eyes betrayed him.

With a frown, Miroku put down his chopsticks and thought for a moment. "I can't say that I have…" He said slowly. "I thought that she was in her room. That's where I saw her last."

"And when was that?" There was now a definite edge to the poltergiest's voice. The rest of the household sensed his agitation and stopped eating.

"That would be last night." Miroku admitted. Food forgotten, he looked at Inuyasha, who was now pacing circles in the air. "Is something wrong?"

He didn't answer. "What about you?" Shippo shook his head. "You?" Sango shook her head as well. "You?" Mr. HIgurashi started to shake his head and then stopped abruptly.

He swallowed his food slowly while Inuyasha twitched impatiently. "I sent her off for pickles." He said calmly. Well, that was a relief. But wait…

"Old man…" Inuyasha said slowly, his eyes turning a molten gold. "**when** did you send Kagome off for pickles?" Miroku broke in with a frown on his face.

"Surely you didn't send her off this late at night?" He asked incredulously. The senior thought carefully. Slowly. Too slowly. Inuyasha's foot jiggled in impatience. Time was wasting, here…

"This afternoon. Around one or so." Mr. Higurashi said calmly. All mayhem broke loose. Sango sat up abruptly.

"What? But that was **hours** ago!" She got up from the table. "She should've been back by now! She should've been back by five, at the latest!"

Ever the cool-headed thinker, Miroku hurried away and went to the phone. Catching onto the atmosphere as Inuyasha started cursing blackly, Shippo began to cry a bit.

"What happened to Kagome…? When is she coming back? Where did she go?" He sobbed. Sango picked him up and held him in her arms as she questioned the old man furthur.

"Does she know how to get to the town?"

"Well, she said that she did…"

"She did?"

"I think so…"

"KAGOME! COME HOME! WAAAAAAAHHHH! WHERE ARE YOU!"

"Gods damn!"

"She left about one, we haven't seen her since. Kagome Higurashi. Black hair, about five foot four, I think. Nice figure… I mean, thinnish…"

"KAGOME…! WHERE **ARE** YOU…?"

AN: there you have it. I would appreciate it if you let me know what you think? OOC? Any tweaking nessesary? Anything else? Should I make the chapters longer? I feel as if they're a bit on the skimpy side… Anybody got some popcorn? Can I have some?

No fear! Tell me!


	6. Lost and Found

AN: NO, THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER! IT IS AN EDITED CHAPTER, AND THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I'VE UPLOADED IT. BUT THIS TIME IT IS EDITED. SORRY!

In response to reviews:

The Kagura thingy will tie in, trust me. I'm sorry to have confused you! Consider it a sort of lure, for now.

Although I'm not sure exactly where this is going in the immediate future, I have an idea of the general plot. And Kagura is in it. I'll work on Shippo on Miroku's characters. (Any suggestions? I. e. what would make them more puffy instead of flat? ) Actually, I've got some interesting plot twits to that end… which might be a bad thing because plot twists always make me queasy for some weird reason. Hopefully these twists will add dimension to them. I've got somn' up my sleeve for Kagome too. And Inuyasha. I might end up of thinking of something for Sango too. But that's overdoing it on the plot twists, isn't it? Hm, plot twists. They confuse me, and then I have to reread stuff. So, if you're like me in that aspect, I'll try to keep 'em simple. And straightforward. These twists will occur somewhere soon, I think. I'm worried about rushing it, though.

I agree, Hojo is a dolt. And Inuyasha is silly to think Kagome likes him. Oh well. And YES, the Higurashi's bought a car. They needed to because they now live in the middle of nowhere. However, the car is not available for the people in the house because Mrs. Higurashi and Souta went to Tokyo in it.

AND, on another note, Howl's Moving Castle, mentioned in a previous chapter somewhere, comes out on June 10th of this year (2005) for the US, some time in 2005 for the UK, and the same for Germany, Israel and Belgium. (I wanna go to Belgium…)

For other release dates and stuff about the movie you can visit:

h t t p : w w w . n a u s i c a a . n e t / m i y a z a k i / h o w l / f a q . h t m l

(Without the spaces, of course!)

Thank you for the complements! And the criticism! (Yay! Someone loves my partners in crime!) I will keep your comments in mind as I write! But please, please tell me if the chapters are long enough! It's been buggin' me, and I would appreciate a second (and third, and forth and fifth, ect.) opinion! Thanks to those who told me, and I'm going to try to make this one a little longer. Anyway… On with the story! Sorry, it took a little longer than normal because I made Kouga all subtle. Kouga –in now way, shape, or form- is never, ever at any point is subtle. That's like making Inuyasha all laid back and happy all the time. So, I had to rewrite about 3 pages (heh…)

Disclaimer: I own Inuyasha in no way, shape or form in any possible way conceivable. Unfortunately for me, but very good for the rest of you.

Haunted

Chapter Six: Lost and Found

"KAGOMEEEEE!" Shippo wailed again. "WHERE IS KAGOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…" Sango tried to comfort him distractedly. She was still asking Mr. Higurashi questions about the lost girl's whereabouts.

"So where do you think she might be? If she took a wrong turn, if she got kidnapped… ugh." It wasn't working out very well. Mr. Higurashi didn't know much of it at all, and he was just as agitated as soon as he realized that, yes, his granddaughter was missing because he sent her out to get some pickles.

"I don't know, young lady." He said, brow more furrowed than usual. "But I will use a spell that will bring her home." With that, the old man left the table and hurried up the stairs. Sango sighted and pressed her palms to her face. Shippo sat in her lap, sniffling and sobbing at intervals. She didn't now how to comfort him when she herself was so on edge.

The poltergeist, after cursing horrendously for a few minutes, had disappeared with another smoky bang and cackling sparks, yet again setting of the fire alarm and forcing them all into the living room. As Inuyasha would've put it, nobody gave a damn about it. They were too worried about Kagome.

"Yes. I already told you," Miroku seemed to have limitless patience. He'd been talking on the phone with the police for ten minutes, but so far nothing had come of it. "Yes, we've gone over this before." He paused for an answer. "No! We know that! Just go look for her! I don't know where she is! If I **knew**, don't you think I would've gone to get her?" So, his patience had its limits. "No, I don't care how long she has to be gone before she is officially missing! Just go look for her! Now!" He slammed the phone on the receiver, not bothering to listen for a reply.

"Wow." Sango couldn't help but be rather surprised by his outburst. The purple-eyed man looked up from the phone to Sango, then Shippo, who was quietly hiccupping on her lap.

"I have come to the conclusion that the police here are incompetent fools who sit around and get paid for it." He said quite calmly. He brought his hand to his head and smoothed out his hair in bewilderment. "Is it really so hard to understand that a girl went missing and we want her back?" He grumbled.

Sango smiled in spite of her nerves. She'd never seen him so worked up. Of course, she hadn't known him too long either, but his name seemed familiar. Miroku… But now wasn't a good time to think about it.

"Will we ever see Kagome again?" Shippo tugged on Sango's shirtsleeve. He'd finally calmed down enough to talk again, albeit not in screams. "Will she come back soon?" The ginger-haired boy asked. Sango looked at him for a moment before answering.

"I sure hope so, Shippo." Because she just didn't know.

(0.o)

( )

So, she was lost. Very, very lost. And it was dark. And she was cold. And hungry. But, it could be worse, right? "It could be raining," She said with a giggle. Kagome had resigned herself to spending the night in a dry rice paddy. The ground would be soft, right? She sniffed a bit and rubbed her eyes. And her family probably wasn't even aware that she was gone yet.

Yes, it could be worse. There could be crazy homeless people who would attack her for her pickle money, or yes, it could be raining. She smacked her arm and winced when her hand came away with a squished mosquito on it. Or she could get all the blood sucked out of her by the millions of mosquitoes around her. But that'd probably happen anyway. She rubbed her arms and kept walking. She'd taken off her flip-flops about an hour ago, she guessed. There were blisters on her feet where they'd rubbed. Of all the things she'd had to get lost wearing, it had to be a short sleeveless dress and flip-flops. She laughed a bit in spite of herself and her situation. As her mother had once said, Kagome never did anything by half. It was all or nothing, and this time she'd definitely gone for the all.

She stepped on a rock and flinched. She tried to look at her foot, but it was too dark to see. She brought her foot closer to her face and fell over onto the side of the road. But where she'd assumed was more flat terrain, there was a large slope. "IEEEEE!" She rolled down the hill, and couldn't help thinking, all or nothing.

(0.o)

( )

This was all Kagome's fault. While most of them were worried sick about the lost girl, he was furious. Not only had she yelled at him for no reason- okay she'd had a reason- but now she had the nerve to get herself lost and make the rest of them worried sick!

But he was worried sick too. He'd practically forgiven her for the fight. He even felt guilty for making her so mad. His resolve to stay mad was crumbling. Actually, it already had crumbled. He was left with remorse and frustration. He couldn't even go look for her because he was confined to the house property. He'd already tested the limits several times. He was exhausted now.

"Kagome, where are you?" He murmured softly. The forlorn words drifted gently on the wind and were carried away by the breeze.

He was very worried indeed.

(••)

( • )

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" She'd fallen into an overgrown copse of trees. Now she was mad, too. And in pain. "Of all the stupid…" Her eyes widened and her head came up like a startled deer. Leaves rustled and Kagome stiffened in alarm. Her eyes stared out into the darkness. A twig snapped and her head flung around the other way as she stared. "H-h-hello?" She stammered in a small voice.

A fatalistic voice in the back of her head told her that this was it, she was going to die. She believed it. No fear… She took a deep breath and said clearly into the night. "If someone's there, could you help me out?" The rustling came again. So maybe that wasn't the smartest thing to say. Her panic mad her babble out one of the stupidest things she could've said. "If you're going to kill me or something, please just get it over with. The suspense is killing me." **Definitely** not the best thing to say.

The sound of breaking twigs came louder, defining the sounds as footsteps. "Hello?" She asked tremulously. She struggled to get up, but her ankle gave way beneath her and she fell over. There was a blinding flash of pain in the back of her head and she fell unconscious. The last thing she perceived was a pair of large boots next to her head.

(•.•)

( )

Miroku paced the living room. He was frustrated beyond belief and sick with worry. So far, the police had sent one incompetent fool over to the house. So far, all the idiot had done was sit at the table drinking tea and talk about her own daughter. She didn't seem to notice that no one was attending.

"…and she's so smart, you know. She could get into any high school around here for miles. One of the brightest in her class. And all the boys are chasing her," The woman chuckled and slurped her tea. "but she'll have none of it! Too busy in her studies, she says." The woman leaned over as far as her large bosom allowed and whispered to Sango confidentially, "You know, she's even had a few proposals. At that age! Yup, the guys are crawling over her…" She placed a meaty arm on the table to push herself away from the table.

"Really?" Sango asked politely. Miroku poked his head in the kitchen. Sango was sitting stiffly at the table, nervous energy just radiating off her as she somehow managed to keep absolutely still. It was quite an admirable feat. His eyes strayed towards her chest and she shot him a death glare over the woman's head. The lecherous man backed out of the room quietly as he headed towards the phone for the eighth time.

"Hello? Police? I'd like to report a missing person… yes, it's me again. Well, if you'd just do something to **help**, I wouldn't be calling again! Her? She's just sitting at the table and drinking tea! No, we need someone to go **look** for her." He felt like he was going to explode… "Hang the time allowance! She's lost! She could be anywhere! Now, GO-" Miroku moved the receiver away from his head for a moment and took a deep breath. "Now, go find her." He concluded in a calmer voice.

"I'll see what I can do, sir." The man on the other side drawled. To someone else in the background, then man said with a sigh, "Yeah, it's that loony again, callin' 'bout a missing girl or something. Yeah, I told him."

For the first time in a long time, Miroku felt like hurting something. Or rather, someone. The man on the phone would do quite nicely indeed. "Look." He said sharply. "I don't know what you're playing at, but one of the jobs of the police force is to find people when they're lost. What the hell," Miroku silently reveled in his choice of words, "are you paid of, anyway?" He took a deep breath and continued. Screw the rules, he was going to give them a piece of his mind. "Because so far, all you've done so far is sit in that little station of yours and polish your guns. So much for the mighty 'police force'." And he wasn't even done yet…

Five minutes later, a very cowed police officer said meekly to Miroku that they were sending out three cars to look for Keiko. "Kagome." Miroku said coldly. "Kagome. Now go get her, and bring her home."

"Yes, sir." The man replied in a small voice. "Good day, sir." Miroku looked at the clock on the wall. It was eleven thirty. Good day?... The other man hung up and Miroku heard him say before the phone hit the receiver, "Crazy, that one is. Absolutely nuts."

With gleeful enthusiasm, Miroku said smartly into the receiver, "And don't you forget it!" The man gulped audibly. After putting the phone down, Miroku collapsed onto the couch where Shippo was sleeping, curled tightly into a ball with a frown on his face. The poor kid had finally collapsed from exhaustion. The purple-eyed man leaned back against the sofa and ran a hand through his hair. The dull yattering of the woman in the kitchen droned on, and Sango was at her wit's end. Sharing a look through the open doorway, the two's thoughts were one and the same.

"Kagome, where are you…?"

(•.•)

( )

"Hey, Kouga." Hakakku greeted. "Whatcha got there?" He did a double take and pushed himself away from the table he was sitting at. "**Who** you got there?"

The black-haired, cerulean-eyed man shrugged. "Found her on our property." He placed the girl on the couch in the main room and grabbed a blanket from the window seat. He tossed it over the body and frowned when it landed on her face. He pulled it back and tugged on the corners so it covered her completely.

"A trespasser." Kouga's other cousin Ginta nodded appreciatively. "Whatcha gonna do with her?" He asked with interest. The last one they'd dumped into a lake on a cold autumn morning.

"Ahh, I dunno." Kouga replied with a careless shrug. "She's only about sixteen, I'd guess. Nothing too nasty." The two brothers sighed in disappointment. Summer was pretty boring. They wanted to see something interesting.

Kouga didn't take a second look at the girl as he stepped over a pile of papers and then a sweatshirt. After a second thought, he turned back to the sweatshirt and put it on. It was getting cold, after all. The room was dark, the curtains over the large bay window drawn for the night. Not that there was anyone who'd peep in. There were some horrible neighbors about half a mile away on their own property, but besides that, they were the nearest people for miles.

There was a thump from the room next to him and a muffled exclamation from Ginta, followed by Hakakku's snickers. The scuffle escalated and Kouga maneuvered himself through the pitch-black room with ease as he headed to the "TV room" as they called it. "Hey, you two!" He reprimanded. Why did he always have to play the part of the mature adult?

The scuffling stopped with a few snide remarks muttered by Hakakku. Kouga entered the room. Picking his way through the stuff on the floor and flopping against the couch. He grabbed half of a sandwich off of a plate on Ginta's lap. The offended cousin glowered, but didn't dare say anything. As kids, Kouga had always been a good fighter. Now he was great. A cold nose thrust itself in his empty hand, and Kouga absently patted the wolf sitting next to his feet. Another wolf yipped from the other room, informing him that the girl was awake and Kouga got up. The TV wasn't really interesting anyway.

He walked out of the room wordlessly and went into the main room where the girl lay. She blinked wide brown eyes and stared unseeingly at the ceiling. The room was nearly pitch black. "Hello?" Her voice was slightly raspy. She cleared it and tried again. "Hello? Anybody there?" Kouga confidently stood next to her head. He could see perfectly well in the dark. She didn't seem to be any harm.

"Hey, Ginta!" The girl flinched to hear the voice coming from so near her head. "Turn the light on!" There was a sigh from the couch in the other room.

"Why can't Hakakku do it?" Asked Ginta. The girl's eyes raced around the room as she desperately tried to see her surroundings. "He's closer to the switch."

"I don't give a damn which one of you does it, just get it done. Now!" With a grumble, one of them got up to flick on the light. Wide brown eyes stared around the room and rested on Kouga.

"Excuse me, could you tell me where I am?" The last thing she remembered was going out for pickles. No wait, she'd fallen down the slope and hurt her ankle- it throbbed as she remembered it- and then hit her head- that pounded persistently- and then she must've blacked out…

"Why were you on my property?" Kouga asked bluntly. The black-haired girl blinked at the bluntness of the question. After a moment's pause, he demanded again, "Well?"

"I didn't know that I was on your property." Kagome said slowly. She was tired. Her arm came out of from under the blanket and rubbed her eyes. "I fell of the path, and down the hill." She tried to sit up and winced. "I think I sprained by ankle…"

Kouga stared at her inscrutably. She seemed armless enough, but so did the last guy who'd appeared on his property. Damn neighbors… The girl fidgeted under his stare and looked away. "What's your name?" He asked finally.

"Kagome." She replied. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair, straightening it somewhat. She winced as she touched the bump in the back of her head. "I was lost, and I was looking for my way back."

"Here, let me see." Kouga finally instructed. The girl turned her head to the side and he moved her bluish-black hair away from the bump. "That's gonna need ice." He told her.

"I think you're right." She replied, still wincing. "So, what's your name?" She asked him. Kouga dropped her hair and stood up.

"I'm Kouga." He turned to face the TV room and yelled, "Hey, Ginta or Hakakku! Go get me some ice!" There was a grumble, followed by a small scuffle. Then, Hakakku stumbled out of the room, rubbing his head gingerly. He walked into the kitchen, which was conveniently located next to the TV room and tossed an ice pack at Kouga. He caught it deftly and handed it to Kagome.

"Thanks." She placed the icepack against the back of her head and flinched at the cold of it. She was uncomfortably aware that Kouga was staring at her. "So where am I?" She broke the silence.

"In the middle of nowhere." He answered enigmatically. "Where'd you come from?" He shot back. Kagome tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Priestess Lane, a bit outside Maebashi." She replied. "Do you know where that is?" She asked sheepishly. Kouga raised his eyebrows, impressed at the distance the girl walked.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Kagura used to live there… That bitch. "You walked that far?" He asked in surprise. Kagome nodded, then winced when it made her head hurt more. "Wow. That's impressive."

"Well, it took me more than five hours, at least." She admitted. "I was really lost, I didn't know where I was going." She brought the icepack from her head and gingerly pulled her leg nearer her body to place it there. Yup, it was definitely swollen. It looked sprained pretty badly.

"Where exactly where you trying to go?" He asked and started to move upstairs, maneuvering around all the junk on the floor.

"I was going to buy some pickles," She said with some embarrassment. "My Grandpa wanted some because we were out. They're one of his favorites."

Kouga reappeared with an ace bandage in hand and a wolf at his heels. Kagome flinched at the sight of the large animal. Kouga noticed and tried to reassure her. "Don't be afraid of these guys. They're just like big dogs. Big, smart dogs that don't stink." He added. Kagome frowned slightly at his comment, but kept her mouth closed.

Kouga picked up her foot and efficiently wrapped her ankle up in it. After a moment's silence, he asked casually, "Kagome, isn't it?" She nodded. "You got a boyfriend?"

Kagome was startled. By the look of this guy, he was quite a bit older than her. "Uhh…" She stalled. "Not exactly…" She replied awkwardly.

"Sits well with me." He flashed her a grin and Kagome squirmed uncomfortably. "You're kinda pretty, you know that? You know what? You can be my girlfriend." Kouga announced cheerfully. He put a hand on her shoulder and Kagome carefully removed it. Kouga frowned.

"Well, you see, there is someone, but we haven't been going out for a long time, or anything." That was a lie. The guy she had in mind she had never gone out with. Oh well.

"That's too bad." Kouga said carelessly. He'd have to scare the guy off at some point. "Well, how about staying for a few days? You could call your family and stuff."

Kagome shifted uncomfortably. Wow, this was awkward. "Actually, I'd like to go home and see them. They must be really worried, you know?" She'd only known the guy about twenty minutes and he was asking her to stay at his house! A thought suddenly occurred to her. "How long was I knocked out?" She asked anxiously.

"Oh, only about fifteen minutes." He said with a shrug. "not too long. You sure you don't want to stay a while? Like a few days?" He tried again.

"Very sure." Kagome confirmed strongly. The wolves were freaking her out, and the room was a mess of papers and other stuff, but strangely, the floor underneath was very clean. As if someone cleaned up around the piles of stuff. And everything was covered in wolf hair. Nope, she didn't think she'd like staying here very much.

"I'll take you back in the morning okay?" He looked at his watch. "It's about one in the morning right now." He told Kagome. "We can set out tomorrow morning after some breakfast."

"That'd be great." Kagome smiled slightly. Home! She flinched as a thump came from the other room followed by some growling. "Oh, could I call my family?" She was so tired she almost forgot.

With an annoyed sigh, Kouga said in a conversational tone to the bickering in the next room, "Can you give it a rest for even a few minutes, guys?" The noises stopped after a bit of grumbling and Kouga shook his head. Turning to his houseguest, he said matter-of-factly, "Unfortunately, the phone line's dead right now." He pointed a finger at the door to the TV room. "My cousins are imbeciles." A curiously grey and black striped head stuck appeared in the doorway and then poked back into the room after glowering at Kouga a bit. "That's Ginta." Kouga introduced informally. "The other guy's Hakakku."

"Hey." Came from the other room. Kagome returned the greeting and reapplied the icepack to her head. After a moment's pause, Kouga walked out of the room to join his relatives in the TV room, two wolves trailing after him. What a host. Kagome found herself wondering about how many of the animals there were around the house. With a nervous sigh, she settled down to sleep. She was exhausted.

( •.•)

( )

The woman had finally left. The police were out looking for her. Hopefully, they'd find her soon. Shippo sat dedicatedly by the phone, waiting anxiously for it to ring. He squirmed in his seat on the couch, staring intently as he willed it to ring and tell him that Kagome was coming home.

And then it rang. Shippo pounced on the phone and it fell to the ground with him. The small table it sat on was overturned and Shippo lifted the phone to his head. "KAGOME!" The thing was upside down, he noticed with a frown. Hastily, he corrected the mistake and tried again. "KAGOME!"

"Uh…" The unfamiliar voice spoke on the other end. "Can I please speak to Mr. or Mrs. Higurashi?" Shippo frowned in puzzlement.

"Is it about Kagome?" The ginger-haired kid asked.

The man's voice was puzzled." No, I'm calling to see if Mr. or Mrs. Higurashi would be interested in purchasing-"

The child interrupted the solicitor politely. "Then you're wasting my time. I'm waiting for Kagome." Shippo explained patiently. "'Bye." He hung up, not bothering to wait for a response from the solicitor on the other end.

He would wait. Miroku passed through the room and gave the determined kid a sympathetic pat on the head. "She'll call, just you wait." Shippo said confidently. Miroku nodded absently and headed towards the staircase with a yawn. He looked at the clock on his way out. One thirty already? He looked back at the forlorn yet stubborn Shippo, waiting for a call from Kagome and remembered another small boy waiting for a call from a loved one. As he marched wearily up the stairs, he pushed the memory to the side and headed for his room.

The call for that little boy never came.

(••)

( • )

Kagome awoke feeling like crap. She squinted as the sun came through the curtains, blinding her. She decided to keep her eyes shut. For a moment, she wondered what had happened to make her feel so bad. And why was she sleeping on the couch? She tried to sit up and a pounding headache roared into life inside her skull. With a groan, she rubbed her temples and swung her legs out from underneath a blanket. With a yelp, her eyes shot open and she remembered the events of yesterday.

She wanted to go home. She tried to stand up, but her ankle was definitely sprained, maybe even broken. Great. She sighed. Kouga came into the room, munching on a piece of toast with what appeared to be leftovers of some kind smothered over it. "Want any food?" He asked, indicating the toast. She was hungry, but she'd rather get home and then eat that stuff.

"Nah, I'm okay." She said quickly, regarding the toast dubiously. "What time can we go?" Kagome looked at her "savior" anxiously. He took his time, chewing carefully and then swallowing. Kagome fidgeted impatiently.

"Now?" He asked. "Now would work." Kouga shrugged carelessly. It seemed to be a habit of his. He walked over to the couch, a few wolves trailing behind him as usual. "Here." He offered his free hand and Kagome struggled to get up.

"Thanks," She winced slightly and limped heavily out of the room, leaning on Kouga. She looked at him uncomfortably. She didn't really want to be in such a compromising position with him. She didn't even know him.

"No prob." He finished off the last of the toast concoction and they went through the kitchen. On passing through, Kagome waved goodbye to Ginta and Hakakku, who returned the sentiment and continued eating the leftover toast stuff.

Limping heavily, Kagome made it down the steps and to a surprisingly modern car with Kouga's aid. She'd actually been expecting an old beat-up pick-up truck or something similar. Opening the door for her, Kouga carefully helped her into the seat, mindful of her ankle. He didn't seem to bad, actually. He was being very considerate to her. As she buckled her seatbelt, Kouga got in on the other side and started the car. "It's a pretty long trip, even by car." He informed her. "Probably about an hour, actually." Kouga said thoughtfully as they went down the dirt road.

"Mm." Kagome replied eloquently. She was still half asleep. The dirt road soon joined up with the lonely highway that Kagome had been traveling down for most of last night. Kouga glanced at the exhausted and muddled girl next to him. Keeping one hand on the wheel, he reached into his sweatshirt pocket and tossed her a bag of snacks. Kagome looked at them dubiously.

"You look like you could use 'em." Kouga explained. "They've got caffeine in them." Kagome nodded wordlessly and opened the bag. She popped a few of the snacks in her mouth and then ate a few more.

In a conversational tone, Kouga asked her, "So, how long you been in the neighborhood?"

(0.o)

( ) 

Shit. He'd never felt so helpless in his life, and the guilt was starting to eat away at him. He kept thinking of the last words he'd said to her: "Well, aren't you the self-centered brat. Well, you can just rot in your room until the next millennia."

What a thing to say. Now he regretted it. "Kagome…" He murmured. It was almost dawn. She'd been missing for 16 hours. "Come back…"

As they said, "you never know the worth of water until the well is dry." He wanted Kagome back. He wanted to stop worrying. He wanted everything to go back to normal. He didn't like floating around the property, completely helpless. Kagome…

The poltergeist laughed suddenly, harshly, a bitter sound that filled the silent morning air. He wanted her to come back and yell at him. It was pathetic, really. He wanted her to come back so she could scream insults and abuses at him. He wanted her to be near again. He wanted her to come back and eat lunch on the porch with him. He wanted her to slap Miroku and laugh at Shippo, to talk with Sango and roll her eyes at Mr. Higurashi. He wanted Kagome back.

(••)

( • )

Home at last! Kagome rejoiced in her head as they turned down Priestess Lane, idly chatting. Kouga didn't look too happy, though, Kagome noted. The strange caffeine snacks that he'd given her had done wonders, though and she felt as alive as ever, although dirty and in need of some attention.

"Well, here we are." Kouga said slowly with a sigh. He stopped the engine and came out of the car. He walked around the front of the car and helped the injured girl out of her seat. As she left the car, Kagome had been expecting a great hullabaloo. She was surprised when there wasn't one, and slightly disappointed.

Kouga noticed her sigh and shrugged. Maybe she **did** want to stay with him, after all? He grinned as he helped her up the walk. With a great bang, a spectral figure was suddenly in their path. "Inuyasha!" Kagome greeted cheerfully. Kouga stopped dead in his tracks. Not only was the figure in front of him floating in the air, not only could he see through him, but he was demon. "Fool…" He murmured under his breath. Kouga decided not to get involved.

The ghost-demon didn't answer. The grin on his features slowly melted away and was replaced by a cold, neutral look. He glanced at the pair, color draining from him as stared with distaste. Literally, Kouga noted. The color was being sucked up, leaving a drained grey in its wake. Kagome's arm jabbed him in the ribs suddenly as her ankle gave way. Kouga caught her gently. When he looked up again, the front door was open and people surged out, looking exhausted. The ghost was still staring.

"Kagome!" An older girl rushed up to hug her. "We were so worried!" She gasped, shedding a few tears in relief.

"Sango!" Kagome greeted just as warmly. She let go of Kouga's arm and met the other's embrace. "Sango" moved back and started to bombard the girl with questions as a small kid slammed into Kagome. "Oof!" Kagome fell against Kouga's chest. He could feel the almost tangible death glare that the ghost was giving him.

"KAGOMEEEEEEEEE!" The kid screamed. Kouga winced at the volume. "WAHHH! I WAS SO WORRIED! I MISSED YOU!"

"I missed you, too Shippo." She patted the kid on the head. Another man arrived at a more dignified pace.

"Kagome!" He exclaimed, arms wide. After a moments pause, Kagome hesitantly returned his hug. After a moment, she squirmed out of his hold, a blush on her face. The older girl whacked the man on the back of the head gently. Kouga growled involuntarily. So **this** must be the boyfriend.

"…and then I fell down a hill and sprained my ankle-" Kagome was watching Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye as the others crowded around her, Shippo firmly stuck to her shoulder.

"Oh, Kagome…" Sango lamented. "I'm so sorry!" She patted her friend on the shoulder. "Is it okay now?"

"Yeah, it's better. Kouga wrapped it for me. He found me on his property, that's where I fell." The three of them turned their attention to the black-haired man in the driveway. "He was really nice."

Kouga grinned at the girl. The ghost was starting to make him uncomfortable. "No problem, Kagome." He put his keys in the pocket of his sweatshirt.

"Please, come in." Kagome's boyfriend smiled and indicated the door. Kouga felt his insides crawling with disgust. A charmer. He'd be easy to intimidate. The smile on his face felt plastic as he agreed.

Sango helped Kagome up the walkway. The two paused as they passed by the ghost and Kagome whispered something to him. Kouga's abnormally sharp ears caught the words. "Come on, don't just stand there!"

"Get away from me!" He snarled, his face flushing with color. He disappeared with a tremendous bang. Sparks showered the ground and a thick foul black smog surrounded the two girls. They coughed and moved away, appearing on the other side of the cloud.

Kouga and Miroku hurried up towards the two of them, moving around the large black cloud that was as thick as when it appeared. Sparks flew out of it at random intervals. "Are you all right?" Miroku asked the two girls.

"Yeah, fine." Sango replied in puzzlement. Kagome was staring at the black cloud looking slightly hurt and confused, her hand still reaching as it had been before. She turned away slowly as the other three continued to walk ahead, talking. She limped heavily up to the door, thinking.

(••)

( • )

He was such a fool. She was such a… bitch. Words could not describe how much he hated her right now. He and the others had been worried sick about her all night, and she had the nerve to come up, casual as you please, hanging onto some guy's arm! She'd probably done it on purpose, to get them all worried about her, and had really run off with some boyfriend. That… **Kouga**.

After all he'd done, worrying and feeling guilty and, and **pining** after her. He'd tried so many times to leave the premises, nearly fading into nothing on several occasions before he retreated. To see her walking up the drive with a cheerful smile was like a slap in the face, only much more painful.

How… how **could** she! He rushed by the old tree where they'd spent numerous hours in each other's company, then whizzed through the forest so fast that the trees became brown blurs. The angry and hurt poltergeist zipped through the walls and furiously slammed into his urn.

There he stayed for several hours, seething, nursing the resentment and anger inside him. She probably didn't even notice that he wasn't with the rest of them, celebrating her return. She was probably all busy with Kouga. Then the door opened, and a cautious feminine voice that he was currently busy despising called out. "Inuyasha? Are you there?"

He summoned the tide of emotions that he was feeling and prepared for battle, popping out of the urn with a bang like a shotgun. Kagome flinched. Black smoke spewed out of the tope of the urn and Kagome coughed, stumbling out of the shed as the thick cloying stuff invaded the small space.

He was prepared to give her hell, and that's exactly what she'd get.

(•.•)

( )

Kagome felt much refreshed after a shower. She felt even better after a good meal. Sango laughed as she stuffed food into her mouth. She hadn't eaten much the day before, only a small breakfast. And the caffeine snack things weren't very filling, so she was hungry. Starving, in fact. Shippo sat on her shoulder the entire time, refusing to let her out of his sight. Kagome had to admit that she felt very treasured as they all crowded around her. But there was something missing… or rather someone. Where was Inuyasha?

Was he still mad at her? It stung to think that. She'd been missing for over half a day, and he couldn't put aside a petty quarrel? She'd put it out of her mind completely when she'd gotten lost. Kagome sighed, melancholy. She just didn't get it.

Kouga watched Kagome out of the corner of his eye as he conversed with the rest of the household. She was preoccupied and staring in Miroku's direction. Kouga growled so low in his throat that it escaped human hearing. What was so great about that guy? Then he noticed that the kid, Shippo, was staring at him in bravely belligerent way as he clung to Kagome. Kouga stopped growling, and the kid relaxed slightly.

Kagome picked up her plate and put it in the kitchen, calling out over her shoulder as she went, "Thanks for the great meal, Miroku!" The man inclined his head politely. So he could cook. Was that it? Well, he could cook too. Kouga stared at the man, perplexed as the others put their own dishes in the kitchen. Miroku soon did the same. Kouga followed him. Miroku shook his head at the dishes piled in the sink and turned to the other man. "They always leave me with the dishes." He complained with a rueful grin. What a pansy! He did the dishes! Kouga almost laughed. What a way to lure in the ladies! But still, if he was Kagome's boyfriend, he'd have to be gotten rid of.

"Hey." Kouga said roughly. Miroku looked up, hot water spilling over his hands as he scrubbed at a frying pan.

"Yes?" The purple-eyed man asked as he worked. Kouga looked him up and down and took a step closer. He was a few inches taller. He was pleased when Miroku moved away slightly. "Um, I don't swing that way…" He said politely. Kouga backed away immediately.

"And neither do I." He snarled. Far from being intimidated, Miroku looked at him curiously. "Stay away from Kagome if you know what's good for you." He growled.

Miroku raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He said flatly.

"Don't play stupid." Kouga snarled. "I've seen the way you two behave." He only got more belligerent when Miroku began to smile slowly. "You think it's funny then, do you?"

Kouga took a step closer, and this time it was obvious what his intentions were. Miroku merely sighed and turned off the water. He dried his hands on a towel and moved away from the sink. "If you think there is something between myself and Miss Kagome, you are very much mistaken." He grinned ruefully, calmly. "She's not interested in me." His grin widened. "Unless you're saying that she told you that she **is** interested and is just pretending not to,"

"No, no." Kouga broke off the pervert. "But, does she have a boyfriend?" He tried. Miroku frowned as he thought.

"Well, there's Hojo." Miroku began. Kouga was standing in front of him, arms folded over his chest as he listened intently. "But he's from Kagome's old school and just came up to visit. They've only been out once. Kagome doesn't really seem to see anything in Hojo, though." He mused.

"Huh." Kouga shrugged. Then she must be shy. He headed out of the room, casually throwing a thank-you over his shoulder as he left to say good-bye before heading home.

He came upon Kagome, Shippo and Sango in the living room. Shippo watched his every move through wide green eyes as he said goodbye. "See you around, Kagome." He winked and Kagome waved, unable to walk him to the door due to her ankle.

"Bye, Kouga!" She called cheerfully. "Thanks!" He waved and closed the door behind him. Shippo snuggled closer to Kagome. The raven-haired girl patted him on the back. "What's wrong, Shippo?" She asked.

"I don't like Kouga." Shippo explained. "He's kinda scary." Kagome nodded absently and patted him on the back again.

"Oh, he's okay Shippo. Just a bit on the…" She searched for the right word. "…feral side." She decided finally. She changed the subject abruptly after a moments pause. "Anybody seen Inuyasha?"

Everybody shook their heads and went back to what they were doing. Sango and Miroku were in the process of setting up a card game. "Strip poker?" Miroku suggested with a twinkle in his eye. Sango promptly kicked him under the table and he winced. "Ouch."

"It's what you deserve." Sango said self-righteously. "Can't you keep your mind out of the gutter for even five minutes!" She asked in exasperation as Miroku's eyes started to wander from her face. She put an arm over her chest and hit him on the head to get his attention. "Let's make a bet."

"A bet? On what?" Miroku asked, eyes how firmly on her face. Well, at least he was making an effort…

"If I win, you have to think clean thoughts for a week." Sango announced. Miroku raised his eyebrows at her.

"And if I win?" Miroku's mouth slowly turned up in a grin. "What do I get?" He asked. Sango noticed in apprehension that he was rubbing his hands together slowly.

"Uhh…" She hadn't thought about that part. "Name it, and it has to be appropriate! Nothing that you wouldn't let Shippo see." She said firmly.

Miroku looked disappointed. "That's not fair." He protested. Then he grinned. Sango looked at him nervously. "Then you can't hit me, not matter what I do." Sango blinked.

"That's it?" She asked incredulously. Her eyes narrowed. "For how long?" She looked at him suspiciously.

"A week seems fair." Miroku inspected his nails, then cracked his knuckles. "So what are we playing?" Sango shuffled the cards with renewed vigor. She was **not** going to lose this…

(•.•)

( )

Kagome winced and stumbled back. She yelped as her ankle twisted slightly and she fell out of the shed on her rear. "Inuyasha?" her voice was slightly panicked. "Are you alright?"

The spectral figure bloomed out of the thick cloying smoke he'd created. "What the hell is your problem?" He roared. Kagome blinked.

"What?" She pulled herself upright gingerly with the help of a nearby sapling. Her brown eyes looked at him innocently.

"What the hell was **that**!" His crimson sleeve flapped as he pointed towards the house furiously. Kagome just looked at him blankly.

"Don't pretend you don't know!" Amber eyes glared into brown. "You were hanging onto that **Kouga** like a leech!" Kagome blinked. She still didn't get it.

"…and then before that, it was Hojo. That weak pathetic idiot! They're both idiots!" He snarled. "And you just show up casually after a night of worrying! You scared the shit out of Shippo! He was sitting by the phone all night! The least you could've done is called!"

"No, I couldn't!" Kagome snapped back. "Kouga said the phone was dead!" She glared back just as fiercely.

"Bullshit!" Inuyasha spat back. "We all saw the way you two were all snuggled up!" Black smoke was blooming out of the hut, sneaking over the ground and twining around Kagome's ankles.

"Well, you're not as observant as you think, idiot!" She argued fiercely. "I sprained my ankle! I couldn't walk!"

"You're walking fine now!" Inuyasha observed heatedly. "All you ever have is excuses! 'Oh, Hojo lent me his jacket, even though it was ninety degrees outside!' 'I sprained my ankle, but I'm fine now!'" His eyes flashed. "Bullshit!" He repeated.

"I'm not lying!" Kagome cried. "I'm **not** lying! I don't have any feelings for Kouga, or Hojo!"

"I don't care about your feelings!" The black smoke was pooling around her shins now. There was a brief pause in which both of them simply glared at each other. Hesitantly, Inuyasha broke the silence. "So what really happened?"

"What?" Kagome was startled, her temper soothed slightly from the lull in the argument.

"What happened between you and Kouga?" He asked again, stubbornly. "No lying." The smoke pouring out of the shed lessened slightly as the poltergeist's temper calmed slightly.

The anger and belligerence came back full force. "Why do **you** care! It's not your problem!"

"Oh, so now I can't just ask you a question without you blowing up in my face!" Inuyasha was furious again as well.

"You're such an idiot!" Kagome yelled at him, her fists clenched tightly around the poor sapling's branches.

"GO AWAY!" Inuyasha roared back, fully colored with rage. Kagome glared back just as belligerently.

"I think I will!" She shot back venomously. The smoke was curling about the forest floor again. Limping heavily back up the hill took a long time, but the angry young woman finally made it to the top without mishap. As fast as she could, she stormed back into the house, gingerly removing her shoes at the door before she stomped up the stairs to her room.

Miroku shook his head at Kagome's passage through the living room. He looked back at his cards, eyes narrowed in concentration. His hand hovered over one card, then the next. He finally selected one and put them down on the table.

Sango grinned and selected a card immediately, followed by another, then another, then another. Miroku winced as she put down three more cards. "Draw two, draw two, skip, reverse, reverse, reverse, skip, reverse and then a one." She grinned at him and said one dreaded word.

"Uno."

(• . •)

( • )

"That's it," Kagome told her empty room as she packed hastily, throwing open one dresser drawer, pulling clothing out of it by the handful and slamming it closed. She stuffed the handful into her suitcase and opened another drawer, grabbed a handful and slammed it in a most cacophonous manner. Shippo snuck in through the partially opened door and watched her with wide eyes as he bounced on to her bed.

"Kagome…?" He asked in a small voice. She was acting really scary. What had Kouga **done** to her? "What are you doing?" The ginger-haired boy asked nervously.

She stopped her haphazard packing to pause and look at Shippo before going back to her work. "I need to get away from that **jerk,**" She accented the word with a loud bang from the dresser. "before I explode!" She announced.

"Where will you go?" Shippo asked in concern. "There's nowhere for miles!" He waved his small arms in the air.

Kagome paused again and sat heavily on the bed next to Shippo. She wearily tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "That's a good point…" She ruffled the small child's hair. "I just need to… to get **out** of here for a while!"

Shippo frowned at her. "Well, why don't you just go for a walk?" He asked obviously. Kagome snorted at his suggestion and reminded him of the last time she'd "gone on a walk." "I'll go with you!" Shippo cried enthusiastically.

Kagome smiled at the kid's eagerness to be helpful. "We'll probably end up getting both of us lost. And besides, my ankle's still in pretty bad shape." She looked wryly at the damaged limb.

"Oh, yeah." Shippo said with a defeated sigh. Suddenly Kagome remembered the ballroom. It seemed like a good escape. It was so quiet in there, and the room was so peaceful. With a satisfied smile, she picked up Shippo. "I've got the perfect place." She told the small boy with a smile.

AN: Long enough? Longer? Tell me whatcha think? OOC? Anything? Let me know!


	7. In The Flesh

AN: Thanks again for all the complements/constructive criticism/ reviews! They make me happy, and I'm glad you like it enough to review all of the chapters (Livvy)! I'm glad that Shippo and Miroku were puffy last chapter. (my solution: their POV's included more often.) (Tiamath)

Yes, Shippo with a water gun seems strange, I agree. My excuse: He's bored, no one to play with because Souta's gone, and Kagome's busy being miffed with Inuyasha. Shippo can't bother Inuyasha because he's probably floating around up high somewhere. So, that's my explanation. Oh yeah, and you're right (New Salem Witch) I wasn't trying to make Kouga a hillbilly. It seems to me though that living in the mountains makes him far away from everyone else, so there's that. In short: He's not hillbilly by nature, but by location, in a way, and he's not a farmer. I'm sorry that he seems hillbilly-ish! I will try and add some Shippo/Inuyasha fights in this chapter. I feel so…(searches for word) lucky/privileged/special to receive the longest review that you've done!

It took a little longer for me to write this because my room got a little bit of remodeling and my computer's in my room, so I couldn't get at it for a bit. Sorry! And I got a door for my room! Unfortunately it's installed backwards and it's more like a screen, so people can see in worse than before while I can't see out. I'm gonna have to do something about that… (I used to have a lousy curtain… People would stick their heads in without warning.)

You may have noticed that I changed the summary for this story: why? Because I finally have a vague idea of the ending! And the rest. I'm going to try and make it twenty-ish chapters, if I can draw it out that long or whatever…

Disclaimer:

dis·claim·er n

1.A statement refusing to accept responsibility for something, for example, a written warning stating a possible hazard associated with a product or service and denying legal liability for any injury

2.A statement saying that somebody gives up a legal right or claim to something, for example, damages arising from an accident

3.A statement denying knowledge of something

Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

In other words: I am saying that I don't own Inuyasha.

Other Disclaimer: I don't have any hold whatsoever on Microsoft or Encarta World English Dictionary, or Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Anyway…

Haunted

Chapter Seven: In the Flesh

The doors opened with a creaky sigh and the two snuck into the room, Shippo still clinging to Kagome. He refused to let her out of her sight after her disappearance the day before. Yet, he couldn't help but be in awe of the sight that met his eyes. "Whoa…"

The room was huge, with a tall ceiling and exquisite molding. Of course, Shippo was more in awe of the size and all the interesting things in it than the masterful architecture. Kagome's footsteps echoed in the silent room as she walked over to the window. "What's that?" He asked, pointing to a large pile of wood on the other side of the room.

"I was cleaning in here the other day." Kagome explained. "There was wood all over the floor and I moved it all to the side." Shippo smiled in anticipation. What could he do with all that wood…? An image of a large fort came to mind, and Shippo leaped off of Kagome's shoulder in direction of the pile.

"Careful there!" Kagome told his as he picked through the wood. "There's nails and a saw in there!" Shippo was too busy with his wood to respond. With a soft sigh, she sat down, back to the shelf as she'd sat with Inuyasha a few days before. The shelves bit into her back uncomfortably and Kagome turned around to face them. She hadn't really noticed what was in the shelves before. They all seemed to be old scrolls. She pulled one out and put it back hastily. They looked like something that her grandfather would be interested in.

"Ow!" Shippo was sucking on his hand. Kagome looked at him reprovingly and he said defensively, "It was a splinter! I didn't see it!" Kagome beckoned for him to come over to her. Reluctantly, the ginger-haired boy complied.

"Let me see." Shippo extended his hand. Kagome frowned. "But… it was bleeding just a moment ago." She looked at Shippo helplessly. "How did it heal so fast?" Shippo squirmed under her scrutiny. The "Most Important Rule of All", as his parents had called it before they were killed, resounded in his head.

"Can I go play now?" Shippo blurted out and ran away, not even waiting for an answer. Kagome frowned. How was it possible for the cut to heal that fast, before her very eyes? She shuddered. It was strange, frighteningly so. Kagome found herself wondering again about the small boy's past. He'd refused to talk about it, either changing the subject immediately or running off somewhere. Hmm…

It was something to think about. When she thought about it, she realized she didn't know much of anything about anybody. Miroku was Miroku. She didn't even know his last name, or where he worked before he was laid off. Was he even laid off? And Sango. All she knew was that a gang had murdered her entire family. Why? Where was she from? She didn't really know at all. Then there was Inuyasha. Of course, he didn't remember his past. Hell, it'd taken him a while to remember his own name!

Sango and Miroku, though. They were hiding things, or at least Miroku was. With a growing sense of alarm, Kagome realized that she could be living in the same house as a serial killer without knowing it. But Miroku was so polite and kind! …And lecherous… He couldn't be a murderer! …. What about a rapist...? She shook her head. It was unlikely. She felt as if she knew the two of them so well. It just didn't go with his personality. He was too proud, dignified, in a weird way. Despite his blatant hands-on approach to women, Miroku was rather virtuous. He had morals. And Sango was like a sister to her now, even though she'd only known her for about a week. Miroku was like an old family friend, albeit a perverted one. But still, one couldn't help but wonder. What were they hiding?

(••)

( )

Great. He was feeling guilty again. And it wasn't his fault! **She** was the one who'd came home, casual as you please, draped over that **Kouga** like a rug! And right after going on a date with that **Hojo**! He shouldn't be the one feeling guilty. She should be. She was in the wrong, not him.

Inuyasha grumbled to himself as he floated in the branches of the tree. Restlessly, he floated through the foliage and drifted over the top, gazing at the house. What was she doing now? Was she still mad at him? As much as he tried, he couldn't stay mad. He tried to summon up all the fury he'd felt upon seeing her hanging onto Kouga, smiling at him. With a start, Inuyasha realized that she hadn't been smiling at him. She'd been smiling at the window, where somebody was probably sitting. And she'd been limping heavily. She could've just been leaning on him for support, as she said. Ugh. He just couldn't stay angry. The brief flash of fury dwindled, leaving him with this empty remorseful feeling in the pit of his spectral stomach.

He needed to get out of that tree. He floated up above the tree and high above the house, as far as he could. The house became a rather small dark rectangle beneath him. A few hundred more yards and he could've touched the clouds. Inuyasha snorted. No, that wasn't true. He couldn't touch anything.

He contented himself with watching the sun set. The shining orange ball sank towards the horizon, leaving the sky a myriad of pastel colors. It was one of those brilliant sunsets where the clouds turn a pinkish-purple with tints of orange sherbet on the edges. Silver lining, indeed. Clouds never had silver linings. They were always some strange color, like pale pink or sherbet orange during a sunset. Sometimes, he reflected, they had bright white around the edges. Silver was more hard, metallic and slightly grey. The blinding white was bright and clean, soft. He preferred the white himself.

The sun sank over the horizon, leaving a green glow behind it. Suddenly, Inuyasha was plunging towards the ground. He was falling. The wind tore at his clothes and tugged his hair as he plummeted towards the house. "Oh, shit." He thought. The speed at which he fell had stolen his breath away. He watched in fascination, as the house grew larger and larger as he neared his destination.

He started wondering if he'd simply sink through the ground until he reached the other side, because at this rate he'd probably reach the other side in a few hours. Maybe he'd disintegrate, he thought with a small stab of apprehension, as he seemed to do every time he went off the property.

The last thing he'd expected was to hit the roof with a resounding smash, crunching through the roof and then the attic to land with another resounding crunch against the floor of the ballroom. He hurt so much. Inuyasha reveled in the pain in an almost masochistic way. It was a strange sensation, indescribable by words. His nerves tingled with it, and he sat up in bewilderment. Then he realized someone was screaming. He turned his head-oh, how it pounded! - and Kagome rushed over.

"Inuyasha!" She leaned over him. He didn't move. "Inuyasha! Say something!" He tried to speak, but nothing happened. His thoughts would project out of his head as they normally did. "Oh, gods, Inuyasha!" Something wet hit his ear. The fuzzy appendage flicked of it's own accord.

"Inuyasha!" She reached out to grasp his shoulder and was shocked when it actually touched him. Inuyasha flinched at the contact. There were tears in her eyes and some on her face. "Oh my God! Are you okay? What happened?" She hadn't realized that she was touching him yet. Tentatively, he reached out and placed his hand on her wrist. Kagome stopped babbling immediately as the realization hit her. "You're… alive?" The grudge that they'd both been holding disappeared in an instant as Kagome gave his a bone-crushing hug. "You're alive!" She moved away and looked at him gleefully, the tears still shimmering in her big brown eyes. "I can't believe it! How'd it happen?"

Inuyasha didn't answer. He could still feel her arms around him, her hand on his shoulder. Human contact. It was alien to him. "Hello?" She tapped him on the shoulder in concern. "Are you okay? Can you walk?" Kagome wiped her eyes on her sleeve. Se indicated the dark patch in the ceiling. "You fell pretty far, it's a miracle that you're not dead." She admitted.

Inuyasha nodded silently, reveling in everything around him. He flinched as Shippo leaped over him and bopped him on the head with a small fist. "Stupid! You put a big hole in the ceiling! If you wanted to come in, you should've used the door!" He cried.

Kagome's hand hovered near his head from where she was sitting in front of him. She blushed then asked, "Can I touch your ears?" He looked at her, startled.

"Huh?" He asked. She seemed to take that as a "yes". His ears twitched as she rubbed them between her fingers. It felt weird.

"They're so soft!" She giggled. He suddenly remembered he could move and he jerked his head away. "Sorry." Clumsily, Inuyasha stood up. Kagome suddenly remembered all the scratches and bruises he had. "Come on!" She scrambled of the debris- strewn floor and grabbed his hand. "Let's get that first aid kit."

He stumbled clumsily as he got used to walking again, Kagome towing him along urgently. "Maybe we should call emergency." She told him. "Does anything hurt really bad? Like, a sharp stabbing pain?" She asked haphazardly as she rushed up the stairs. Inuyasha had difficulty with those.

"None." He replied briefly. He reveled again in the use of his voice. As a poltergeist, he didn't have vocal chords. To talk was to project thoughts so that others could hear them. Kagome looked at him in concern.

"Are you sure?" She pressed. "You fell through the roof! Then you hit the floor about twenty-five feet down! How could you not be, well, dead?" She asked. "You're a bit out of it, too." She reconsidered. "Is that because you're flesh and blood?" She frowned the squeezed his hand in hers. "You **are** flesh and blood, right?"

"I- I think so," He stammered. His was uncomfortably aware of his hand in hers as they walked down the hallway. The carpet felt soft under his callused feet. "I mean, I'm solid." He looked at the scratches on his arm that had stopped bleeding. "Yeah."

Kagome let go of his hand- Inuyasha let out a breath he didn't know he was holding- and opened up a closet, rummaging through it in search of the kit. "Here we are!" She brandished the large white box triumphantly.

"I don't need it." He told her cockily. Well, he seemed like his old self again, Kagome noted wryly.

"Yes, you do." She replied firmly. "You've got cuts all over your arms, and a few on your face-" She stopped abruptly. The cuts were going away. There were less than when she looked last. Just like Shippo…

"What?" He asked irritably. His ears flicked at her. Kagome just looked at him, puzzled, "What?" He demanded again.

"Your cuts… I could've sworn…" She trialed off and inspected his face. Inuyasha's face colored under her scrutiny.

"What?" He asked yet again. "What about 'em?" Kagome stepped back and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear in bewilderment.

"Well, they're all gone." She grabbed his arm and pulled the curiously thick fabric of his haori away from it. "These too!" She exclaimed, her distress visible.

"Of course." He shrugged. Kagome stared at him, clearly confused. "I'm half demon. I heal faster than humans." His grin was cocky again. "I don't need that." He indicated the box.

"Oh... okay." It was Kagome turn to be speechless. "Well, come on, then." She beckoned for him to follow her. Inuyasha felt something tug on the hem of his pants. Green eyes stared into gold. Gold widened in surprise,

"Why, you're a-" Inuyasha began in surprise. He didn't notice it when he was a poltergeist, but now that his senses were heightened it was quite clear.

But Shippo had other things in mind. "Promise not to tell!" He whispered fiercely. "You can't tell anybody!" He implored.

"Why?" Inuyasha asked, startled. "No one would care."

"I'm not allowed to tell." Shippo said. "My parents always told me that I couldn't show anyone ever."

"Why?" Inuyasha asked again. He seemed to be asking a lot of one-syllable questions lately…

"They said so." Shippo replied stubbornly. He wasn't about to question his parents' last wishes. "So I'm not going to ever!"

"Oh, okay…" Inuyasha was still puzzled. He'd never had to bother about his appearance. No one seemed to care.

"How are you all… alive?" Shippo asked. Inuyasha looked at him blankly and then shrugged. How was he supposed to know? His thoughts were still on Shippo, though.

"Are you coming or not?" Kagome called from the end of the hallway. Inuyasha increased his slow pace and arrived next to Kagome. "Come on!" She was smiling. "Everyone will be so excited!" She rushed down the stairs, calling out names and summons to the living room as she went. Inuyasha followed at a slower pace as he got used to walking again.

"What is it, Kagome?" Inuyasha heard Miroku's voice in the living room as he descended the staircase. "Is something wrong?"

"Everything's just **great**!" Kagome bubbled. "Hurry up!" She hollered at the stair.

"I'm coming!" Inuyasha retorted sourly. Inside he was a tad apprehensive. How would Miroku react? He wondered.

"Kagome?" Sango slid open the door to outside. "I heard you from through the window," She explained. "What's wrong?"

"Absolutely **nothing**!" The girl replied cheerfully. "In fact, everything's great!" She laughed.

"Ummm…" Miroku hummed in puzzlement. "Why did you call us all here?" He asked politely.

Instead of replying, Kagome shouted at him again. "How long does it take to go down a staircase?"

"You try it after floating around for five hundred years!" He retorted. "Don't rush me?" He moved down faster as he got the hang of it.

"Tadah!" Kagome shouted and pointed at him as he arrived in the living room with a stumble. "Introducing… Inuyasha!"

Sango and Miroku stared. Inuyasha fidgeted awkwardly as he stood in the doorway, Shippo on his head. "How-" Miroku finally asked.

"What-" Sango said at the same time.

They looked at each other in bewilderment. "Uhh…" Sango sat down heavily on the couch. Miroku ran a hand through his hair. "Inuyasha?" Now, **this** was different. He'd seen everything now. Inuyasha changing color, Inuyasha disappearing with big bangs of smoke, Inuyasha walking through wall, Inuyasha reappearing with puffs of dusty smoke. And now, Inuyasha was… alive. Miroku noted with a growing sense of excitement that he was still demon, or rather, half demon.

"Is it… permanent?" Sango asked hesitantly. "You being… well…" She gestured at the uncomfortable Inuyasha in a vague manner. Kagome patted the seat next to her, asking the awkward young man to join her on the couch. With tentative steps that grew cautiously bolder, he made his way to the couch and sat stiffly next to Kagome.

For a moment he was silent. He frowned and then spoke hesitatingly. "I … don't know." Talking was going to take some getting used to if it was. He always thought that he'd be overjoyed at being alive again, but he was just bewildered. Walking took a good deal of concentration that he was sure wasn't necessary before. And talking! As far as he recalled, he wasn't much of conversationalist, but talking wasn't as strange before. Overall, it was frustrating so far.

"What happened, anyway?" Kagome asked. I mean, you just fell out of the sky." At Sango and Miroku's questioning looks, Kagome explained. "He fell through the ceiling and made a crater in the floor."

"And you're not injured?" Sango asked incredulously. Miroku was lost in thought, staring at the opposite wall as if it had fascinating things to tell him. "That's amazing."

Inuyasha snorted. "I'm half-demon." He replied shortly, arms crossed over his red-clad chest. Shippo was hopping about in an agitated manner on his shoulder, looking anxiously from one face to another.

"I always thought it was a poltergeist thing," Sango admitted. "But… I've heard legends. My family was supposedly descended from a tribe of demon exterminators." Her eyes held sorrows that her voice would reveal. "And my brother Kohaku and I train- trained, I mean, with my dad in fighting them because of it." With a sigh, she drifted into silence. That life was over now.

Kagome patted her friend on the shoulder sympathetically. "Nope." Inuyasha replied casually. "This is how I looked in life. How I look in life." He corrected, hoping that it was permanent.

"Well," Miroku snapped out of his reverie, a satisfied smile on his face. "When was the last time you ate?" He grinned and headed towards the kitchen.

Inuyasha's eyes lit up at the prospect. He could smell food as a poltergeist, and he had something in mind. "Ramen." He called to Miroku in the kitchen.

"What?" Miroku asked incredulously. "Ramen? But there's so much better food than… ramen." Inuyasha struggled off the couch.

"Ramen." He repeated firmly. On how many occasions had he smelled it and wished to eat it? Now he really could. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen rather uneasily. Miroku looked up at him from the kettle he'd just filled with water.

"Something wrong?" he asked. He put the kettle on the stove and turned on the burner. Inuyasha sneezed. The gas was entering his sensitive nose. As a poltergeist, his sense of smell- while still considerably better than a humans- was a poor substitute for his real nose.

"Not really." Inuyasha shrugged and stepped into the room. Shippo- who'd been sitting silently on Inuyasha's head- jumped off, knocking Inuyasha askew and landing on Miroku. Because of his unused reflexes, Inuyasha fell back and hit the wall with a thump. "Ow! Brat!" He seethed. If only he could hit him… A mischievous glint that far surpassed any given off by Shippo's eyes entered Inuyasha's. Shippo gulped.

Seeing what was about occur, Miroku put up his hands in a placating gesture. "Now, Inuyasha. I know you're mad at Shippo, but fighting doesn't solve anything." He quoted a schoolteacher that he'd been "observing". "Use your words." In the other room, Sango snorted.

"Use your words," She repeated with a grin. "That's what my preschool teacher used to tell us." Kagome nodded in agreement as she got off the couch to try and help Miroku. Sango shook her head again. "Use your words…" She was going to remember that one.

"Any last words, Shippo?" Inuyasha cracked his knuckles intimidating. Miroku winced. Shippo was clinging to his shoulder with wide eyes. Inuyasha took a step forward and Shippo bolted like a frightened rabbit.

"Wahh!" Shippo wailed as he leaped onto a cupboard. Inuyasha swiped and missed. He overbalanced and fell, grabbing at the back of Miroku's shirt for help, who then fell against another cupboard. The kettle went off, adding to the noise. Kagome stepped into the room, intending to come to Shippo's aid. Instead, Miroku's back slammed into her, knocking her over with a shriek of surprise. She grabbed at Inuyasha's hair, but to no avail. The three of them fell in a heap on the ground with much cursing from Inuyasha. This was closely followed by an outraged scream from Kagome.

"Hentai!" Which was then followed by a slap and some muttered excuses from Miroku. Shippo was clinging to a ceiling light and laughing. The thing was swaying back and forth, sending flickering shadows all over the kitchen. Sango stood in the doorway, staring at the spectacle. Wordlessly, she stepped over the dog pile and turned off the kettle. Inuyasha sprang up from the ground and grabbed at the still-laughing boy on the light with a growl that promised lots of pain. Kagome rolled away from Miroku and gingerly nursed her head. "Oww…"

Miroku sat up gingerly, a large red mark on his face. Standing slowly, he placed a hand on his back and another on his head and made the same remark as Kagome. "Ow."

Inuyasha was clumsily-but efficiently- chasing Shippo around the room. Without saying anything, Sango shook her head and walked out of the room, a cup of tea in her hand. She sat down in the dining room, calmly sipping her steaming tea. Kagome wandered out of the room moments later, still rubbing her head and looking peeved. Sango smiled serenely at the younger girl, who merely grinned ruefully. No words were needed.

"Brat! Get back here! I'm gonna make you pay for all the hell you've out me through!" Shippo leaped into the dining room, followed closely by Inuyasha, who'd recovered some of his former grace and agility.

"Kagomeeeee!" Shippo wailed. He leaped at her and clutched at her arm with wide beseeching eyes. "Inuyasha's gonna kill me!" Kagome looked at him.

"Stay away from Shippo." She instructed. Inuyasha stopped abruptly and grumbled. He sent Shippo a death glare that promised to get him back later, then tried to leave the room as he normally would've, by disappearing through a wall. Obviously, it didn't work. He whirled around, glaring as the others in the room tried to smother their laughter.

"Inuyasha, you might wanna use the door." Shippo commented solemnly. In an attempt to regain some dignity, the former-poltergeist glared at the three of them, then walked back into the kitchen, reprimanding Miroku for being slow with the ramen.

(•.•)

( )

"Brat!" Inuyasha made a swipe at Shippo. "And **this** time, I can get you back!" There was a wicked grin plastered on the half-demon's face. Kagome wasn't there. She'd gone upstairs to brush her teeth. Miroku and Sango were playing Uno in the kitchen after Miroku demanded a rematch.

"Wait!" Shippo hopped about on one foot. "Wait! Wait! I just wanted to talk!" The ginger-haired boy wailed as Inuyasha took his revenge for weeks of helpless anger. Inuyasha dusted off his hands. Shippo put his hands to his head gingerly.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" the former poltergeist asked as if nothing had happened. Shippo glared at him resentfully for a moment before answering.

"You're not going to tell anyone, are you?" Shippo asked anxiously. "I mean, that I'm…" He squirmed in his seat agitatedly. With an exaggerated sigh, Inuyasha sat down next to him.

"Didn't I tell you that already, Brat?" He asked irritably. Shippo looked at him, trying to decide if he was telling the truth. It was kind of hard to tell with someone when they didn't do anything that pointed him in one way or another…

"Promise?" Shippo asked stubbornly. He wasn't going to take chances. Not after what he'd seen…

"Okay, okay." Inuyasha agreed. "I don't get it though." He looked at Shippo curiously. "Why not? No one would care, you know?" No one cared about his appearance.

"My parents." Shippo replied stubbornly. Was he actually having a civilized conversation with Inuyasha? "They were caught, and then they were killed. I don't want to die too." And if he ever found the murderers… Shippo clenched a little fist.

"Huh." Inuyasha snorted. "No one's tried to kill me," he argued. Not recently, anyway. "I don't know why you're so worked up about it."

"Let's talk about something else, okay?" Shippo glanced around the room. Inuyasha shrugged but didn't mention it again. They sat in silence for a moment. Suddenly Shippo asked, "Shouldn't Souta and his mom be back by now?"

Kagome came down the stairs and replied with a frown, "Yeah, they should." She looked at the clock: three in the morning. Man, she was tired. "They should've been back yesterday evening." Oh, great. Now she was all worried about them. And they were probably fine.

"I'm sure they're alright, Kagome," Sango assured from the kitchen. "Hey! Put that card down, cheater!" Miroku was desperate about winning. "Don't think I didn't see that!"

"See what?" Miroku asked innocently. Sango glared pointedly at him. With a defeated sigh, Miroku replaced the card that he'd picked up.

Sango put down several cards. "Skip, reverse, draw two, four." And then came that word, the one word that he didn't want to hear her say.

"Uno." Running a hand through his hair, Miroku placed a card, watching Sango with mounting dread as she smiled slowly and placed her last card down. "Two weeks of clean thoughts!" Sango cheered.

"Rematch!"

From the other room, Kagome grinned at Inuyasha ruefully. "Here we go again…" Inuyasha snorted in response.

(• .•)

( )

Kagome blinked sleep out of her eyes and gently removed Shippo from where he was sleeping in her lap. She looked at the clock. Sunrise was in about twenty minutes. She leaped off the couch and grabbed Inuyasha's hand. "Let's go see the sun rise!" She grinned at him as she pulled him towards the door, pausing only to open the door and slip on her shoes.

They'd gone about six yards when Kagome suddenly realized that he wasn't wearing any shoes. Noticing her gaze, Inuyasha shrugged. "Don't wear 'em." He explained. Kagome nodded wordlessly and continued at a more moderate pace. She suddenly realized that she was still holding his hand, and let go abruptly, embarrassment coloring her face. Inuyasha glanced at her sideways, his own face slightly pink, but didn't say anything.

The silence that was once a companionable one stretched out between them, the air filling with tension. After a few minutes of walking up a small dirt path that led up to a hill, Kagome finally broke the silence. "So how is it?"

"Hm?"

"I mean, being alive again," Kagome clarified. Inuyasha shrugged slightly and stepped over a fallen branch on the trail.

"Like I remember it." Inuyasha looked at the dirt and avoided Kagome's gaze. "I mean, it's different, but I'm still me." He shrugged again. He was never too good at words.

"Ouch." Kagome winced as she stepped at a weird angle. When Inuyasha looked at her questioningly, she said, "My ankle that I sprained is still really sore." Without a moment's warning, he grabbed her arm and slung her on his back. "Huh?" Kagome asked.

"It's faster." Inuyasha said. Kagome nodded without replying, her face slightly pink despite the practicality of his gesture. She squeaked in surprise when he began to run effortlessly, the trees whipping by as fast as if she were in a car. "Which way?" He asked.

Breathless, Kagome managed to say, "Just follow the trail." Inuyasha nodded and kept going. He dropped gracefully to the ground on the crest of the hill and Kagome dropped off of his back, favoring her left ankle. The view was spectacular, Kagome noted. The hills rolled gently off into the distance, green grass waving gently in the breeze. The sun had not yet crept over the horizon, but a pale green sat on the edge in anticipation. Pale grey clouds outlined chased each other slowly across the cornflower blue sky. The wind rustled gently and the trees gave rustled sighs. The cool breeze toyed with Kagome's hair and she shuddered slightly. She'd forgotten to bring a jacket.

Kagome stared at the view and took it all in. It was beautiful. She snuck a glance at Inuyasha. He was looking across the view unseeingly, lost in thought. Kagome sat down on the dewy grass and stared over the horizon, feeling slightly hurt that he seemed to be refusing to acknowledge her. He proved her incorrect, however when he stiffly sat down next to her. "I didn't know you could run like that," Kagome admitted.

"I'm half demon." He replied with a shrug, still staring at the view. That reply was starting to get on her nerves…

"I wonder what happened to them all…" Kagome mused aloud. Inuyasha turned to her. "I mean, where did all the demons go? If there were a bunch around when you were alive –I mean, when" She struggled for words. "Before when you were cursed. There were a lot of them, right?"

Inuyasha nodded slowly. "Yeah. What of it?" He asked sharply. Kagome shook her head as the wind blew her bangs into her eyes. She shivered and wished fervently that she'd brought a jacket.

"Well, what do you think happened to them all?" She asked. Inuyasha pulled off his haori and handed it to the cold girl. "Thanks…" Kagome murmured, taken aback by the kind gesture. "Are you cold?" She asked.

"I'll be fine." He replied shortly. They watched in silence as the sun slowly neared the horizon, the sky turning peach, then yellow as it came closer.

"You know," Kagome said abruptly. "You can always stay with us. Now that you're alive again, I mean. If you're not going to go anywhere else." She didn't want him to go…

"I don't think I'll be going anywhere any time soon." He replied slowly. The first rays of sun touched on the rolling green hill beneath them and the sky lightened to a dusty pale blue. Kagome smiled and looked at the new/old houseguest only to blink in surprise.

There was a poltergeist sitting next to her again.

(•, •)

( )

"Uno."

Miroku looked at Sango in shock. "I don't believe it." He ran a hand through his black hair. "How do you always…? No matter how many times we play, you always win! What's your secret?" He asked with genuine curiosity.

"Now that would be telling, wouldn't it?" Sango asked with a grin. "You know, you now have to think clean thoughts for two months."

Miroku brushed her remark aside airily. "My thoughts are **always** clean." He told her solemnly. Sango snorted in disbelief.

"I don't believe a word of it." Sango said flatly. "You are the worst and most frequent liar that I have ever met!" She shook her head.

"But I'm trustworthy," Miroku pointed out. "And I'm polite, and educated, and well-groomed." He frowned. But whatever he did, it was always the unattractive ones that came after him.

"You're full of it." Sango retorted. "You never fulfill promises! How is that **trustworthy**?" She demanded. Sango shuffled the cards and stacked them neatly. "Another game?" She inquired.

Miroku shook his head. "I know when to back down." How did she **do** it? He'd always been pretty good at Uno, but she was the best player he'd ever met. "I make those promises to everybody." He informed calmly. "They know that they don't mean anything."

"Are you sure?" Sango asked. "Tell me, how many hearts have you broken?" Miroku shrugged. Sango tapped her fingers on the dining room table impatiently. "Well, how many girls have fallen for you?" Again, Miroku shrugged. "You don't **know**?" Sango asked incredulously. "That's horrible! **You're** horrible!" She brandished an accusatory finger at him.

Miroku put his hands up defensively. "I haven't done anything!" He laughed nervously. "Oh, come on, Sango!" She stood up abruptly and walked out of the room, leaving him alone with the Uno cards. Why did she care all of a sudden…?

(• .•)

( )

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked cautiously. "How did you…?" The poltergeist was staring at his hands in bemused shock.

"Huh." He smiled in grim humor. "I get it." The wind blew again and Kagome suddenly noticed that the haori was still wrapped around her. She fingered it curiously.

"What do you mean?" She tugged gently on the haori, as if making sure it was still really there.

"It was just for that night. Sundown to sunrise." Inuyasha said bitterly. He'd never gotten to feel the sun again. "Lemme see that." He reached for the hem of the haori.

"Can you touch it?" she asked. His hand firmly tugged on the hem and it became grey and immaterial like the rest of him. Great. Now she was cold again. "I'm so sorry, Inuyasha." She said heavily to the figure who was now coasting next to her.

"Don't be." He said gruffly as he floated down the slope. He missed the damp earth under his feet and the cool breeze of the sun already… "It had nothing to do with you." He didn't want her pity.

"But…it's not fair!" She protested. "To regain everything for just one night and then getting in snatched away again like that!" She tried vainly to snap her fingers.

"Life's not fair." He replied emotionlessly. He should've seen it. Everything good in his life had been snatched away, after all. His mother, his old home, his life, the life he could've- Inuyasha fiercely broke of that train of thought. Lies. It had all been a lure. A pack of lies. She'd just used him.

"…democracy, and justice- if you've got an impartial court- now, what else? Ooh, and handouts, and donations, and happiness-unless money makes you happy- and love-" Inuyasha's head snapped towards her and he stared. "Oh wait, those are free, not fair. Of course, they say, 'all's fair in love and war', right?" She murmured to herself.

"What?" He asked sharply.

"Well, I was just saying that plenty of things are fair. But then I started listing things that were free instead of fair, by accident." Kagome grinned sheepishly. "What's wrong?" He was looking at her strangely, his expression completely blank, yet a bright molten copper was smoldering beneath his grey eyes.

"Never mind." He replied, drifting ahead. Kagome frowned in confusion, limping as she tried to catch up. He sure was acting weird…

(•. •)

( )

Shippo stirred from sleep. Blinking in the bright light that glared through the window. He rolled over and fell off the couch with a thud. Now fully awake, the young boy scrambled off of the floor and looked around the room frantically. Where was everybody? He could hear Miroku and Sango talking heatedly in the other room. But where was Kagome? Had she gotten lost again? It was a very irrational question and the ginger-haired boy knew it, but he couldn't help worry about her after the traumatizing incident of the other day.

Shippo heard Sango stomp out of the living room and through the kitchen, then storming through the living room furiously. "I can't believe him." She muttered to herself, unaware that Shippo had the capacity to hear every word clearly. "He treats women like trash! No wonder he doesn't have a girlfriend…"

No good asking her anything right now, Shippo decided wisely. He wandered into through the kitchen and into the dining room. "Hey, Miroku," He began. The violet-eyed man looked up from the Uno cards he was holding, then down when he realized it was Shippo who'd spoken.

"Yes?" He asked briskly after a moment's pause. Shippo looked at him in confusion for a moment before responding.

"Where's Kagome?" He asked. Everybody was acting so weird today… And where was Inuyasha?

"She went for a walk with Inuyasha." The familiar sparkle glittered in his eyes but was quickly distinguished. "Damn pride." The words hadn't been meant for Shippo's ears, but he heard nonetheless.

Everyone was certainly acting strange. "What do you mean?" The ginger-haired boy asked in puzzlement. Miroku looked at him, perplexed. "When you said 'damn pride'?" Miroku pursed his lips for a moment.

"How did you hear me, Shippo?" A different sort of gleam entered his purple eyes, one that Shippo couldn't identify. Quite frankly, it was making him nervous.

"I'm gonna go wait for Kagome and Inuyasha now bye!" Shippo ran out of the room, leaving Miroku alone with the Uno cards and his confused thoughts for the second time that day.

A small uncharacteristic smile played on Miroku's lips. "So, I might be right after all…" He murmured. "Those fools. I was right all along." A smirk very much alike one Inuyasha wore half the time graced his lips. All he had to do now was get catch Shippo by surprise to prove him right…

If Miroku had been one to do so, he would've cackled evilly.

(•.•)

( • )—

"Kagura…" The voice invaded her thoughts like a cold slimy malignant hand. "You have succeeded?" The question echoed in her mind, yet the wind sorceress answered aloud.

"Of course." She replied calmly, with just a touch of spite in her tone. "I'm sure you were aware of my every move." She indicated her elder sister Kanna who sat as close to the darker urn as the scrolls would allow.

"I was," The same consciousness replied in her head. "And you missed one." There was a threat underneath the reply. "You're getting sloppy, Kagura."

Kagura opened her fan with a snap and a sigh. "Where?" She asked in perpetual boredom. The consciousness gave her instructions. "I'll take care of it right away." She walked down the passage- she hadn't even entered the chamber, the purifying energy was too strong for her but not her elder sister whom the scrolls recognized as nothing- and leaped out of the top entrance gracefully, pulling a feather out of her hair in midair to go swooping away.

"Oh, Kagura." The voice was faint, the farther she got away, the more it would disappear. "You might want to pay our friend Kouga a visit while you're at it…" A malignant chuckle echoed in her thoughts.

"As you wish," Kagura said coldly. "Naraku."

The wind witch floated away on her feather and towards the rising sun, giving some thought to as what would most enrage Kouga.

(•. •)

( )

Feeling slightly dejected, Kagome walked into the house with a sigh. It was so sad, to gain it all back for just one night. And he'd spent the whole time eating ramen and chasing Shippo! She shook her head.

Miroku watched Kagome slide open the door and remove her shoes wearily. "Something the matter, Miss Kagome?" He asked. Trouble with Inuyasha, he guessed.

"Yeah," She sat down on the couch next to him. "Inuyasha…" He'd guessed right. "He's a poltergeist again." She shrugged helplessly. "And now he's all mopey. Of course, he has every right to be." She added hastily.

"How did that happen?" Miroku asked with a frown.

"He said that it only lasted for one night, sundown to sunup." Kagome explained. "But I don't understand how that explains anything."

"I think I understand." Miroku said slowly. "The curse must've been at it's weakest, and failed for one night." At Kagome's startled look, Miroku explained. "I took theology and legends at college."

The dark-haired girl nodded. "But why would it be weak? He said it's never happened before…" She frowned in thought.

"Yes," Miroku agreed. "But before. He wasn't as alive, was he? He is regaining his humanity…" And his demonity. Possibly.

"Oh, okay." That seemed to make sense. "So is it a one-time thing, then? Or is it a once a week, or once a month thing? Once a year?" She mused.

"I believe these sorts of things go by the lunar calendar." Miroku recalled. "So, about once a month, I'd guess." Kagome nodded enthusiastically. "You can tell by the moon."

"I didn't notice the moon last night." Kagome admitted sheepishly. It was good news, though; He could be alive again, once a month.

"I did." Miroku had suspected that something of the sort would happen. He'd taken note of more than just the moon. "It was a perfect half."

Kagome smiled at him. "Thanks!" She got up off the couch and went to the door again. "Oops!" She turned around and rushed up the stairs, remarking as she went, "I need a jacket." Miroku shook his head.

A few minutes later, Kagome hurried back down the stairs, a sweater half-on as she struggled with the other sleeve. She ran through the living room and paused at the door to put on her shoes, hopping around to gain her balance. Her backside was to him… Miroku clamped down on that train of thought, remembering the multiple games of Uno he'd played with Sango. Speaking of which… Where was she? It was a mystery. And what was with that outburst? He'd eventually put down Sango's strange behavior to PMSing, but it didn't fit Sango's personality at all. So, there was another mystery….

Kagome slid the door shut after her and ran across the much-overgrown yard. Nobody seemed to be eager to garden and the hard work that Mrs. Higurashi had put into it was starting to regress back into an earlier stage of development. Mrs. Higurashi… well, there was another mystery. Miroku frowned in thought. She and Souta should've been back two days ago. He felt a stab of worry for the kind, generous woman and her son.

The phone rang a few minutes later and Miroku lazily stretched out an arm to grab it. "Higurashi residence." He answered smartly.

"Oh, hello." A familiar feminine voice buzzed over the phone. "Is that you, Miroku?"

Well, speak of the devil. It was Mrs. Higurashi. "Yes, it's Miroku." He responded. "Is something wrong? We've been a bit worried when you didn't come back yesterday."

"I'm sorry about that." The older woman apologized. "It just so happens that Souta's friend Satoru woke up from a six-month coma yesterday."

"That's nice to hear." Miroku said politely. "Most people never wake up." No one he'd known had ever woken up…

"Yes," Mrs. Higurashi agreed. "It's quite a mystery. The doctors don't know anything about it. It is funny, though." She admitted. "He was in a coma exactly six months, no more, no less." She sighed, then said cheerfully, "Well, not everything in life has an explanation. We're just glad he's okay."

"Yes," Miroku replied eloquently, at a loss for words. What else could he say? That he was jealous of the poor kid because he'd woken up and his father hadn't? It was ridiculous.

"Anyway," The older woman continued, "Say hi to everyone else for me! We'll be back in another few days."

"I'll be sure to tell them that you called." Miroku informed her, twirling the phone's cord around his finger.

"How is everything?" She asked anxiously. The phone cackled slightly. "…okay?"

"What? I didn't catch that last part."

"Is everything okay?" She repeated. "Any new arrivals?" To someone on the other end she said, "Just a moment, Souta." The young boy grumbled unintelligibly. "Hush." To Miroku, she said, "Sorry about that. Souta wants to talk to Shippo."

"Ah, I see. Everything's good. And as a matter of fact, we **do** have a new arrival. Her name's Miyagi Sango." He didn't care to enlighten her on the circumstances of her arrival. That was her story to tell, not his.

"Well, tell her I hello and that I look forward to meeting her." Miroku could hear the smile in her voice. "Oh, okay, Souta. Miroku, could you please get Shippo?" She asked.

Time to test out his theory. "Shippo…" Miroku called softly. "Souta wants to talk to you." He knew that Shippo wasn't anywhere near by. He was probably a few rooms away. He was sure that he heard though. "Shippo, Souta wants to talk to you. He's on the phone right now." He said in the same quiet tone.

In the other room, Shippo stopped coloring his picture and put down his crayons hesitantly. Despite his young age, he was no fool. He was pretty sure what Miroku was trying to pull. It explained the strange gleam in his eyes and the way he seemed to look at him calculatingly. It all fit. Shippo shivered in spite of himself. He had no evidence… But he really wanted to talk to Souta. Maybe if he chased his ball down the hallway towards Miroku and said he'd heard him from there. It was safest to wait, though. Miroku would realize that it was hopeless and then he'd give up. "Shippo," The devious purple-eyed man called softly. "Souta's calling." His voice held some tone of eager expectancy, hopeful. Instinct told him to stay away. He trusted that instinct. Not that he thought that Miroku was going to do anything terrible to him. He grinned slightly. He was going to play with him, trick the unexpectant adult, as was the nature of his kind.

After a moment's pause, Miroku's voice rang out louder, into a human's hearing capacity. "Shippo! It's Souta!" Shippo came running, as he normally would've.

"Souta!" He skittered into the room and leaped for the phone. "HI!" He literally shouted into the earpiece. With a frown, he set it upright and tried again. "HI!"

"HI!" Souta yelled back on the other end. Shippo winced at the volume of Souta's enthusiasm. "Anything interesting happen while we've been away?"

"You have no idea! Ever the gossiper, Shippo bounced on the couch eagerly. As he began to retell the details of Kagome's adventure, Miroku watched the ginger-haired boy carefully, feeling slightly disappointed. Maybe he'd been wrong. He doubted it. How else could Shippo have heard Sango sniffling in the street with him washing dishes and the sidewalk being so far from the kitchen? Shippo was clever. He wouldn't get caught that easily. He'd have to catch him by surprise. He had a few tricks up his proverbial sleeves, after all.

Shippo watched Miroku out of the corner of his eye. As he suspected, he was watching him very closely, carefully with a thoughtful look on his face. This was going to be interesting…

(•. •)

( )

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called, rubbing her arms for warmth. She wasn't cold, exactly. Just chilly. "Inuyasha! I need to tell you something!" She stepped back with a startled squeak as the poltergeist-once-more puffed into existence in front of her, by the old tree.

"Yes?" He asked evenly. He didn't look like he was in a very good mood. When Kagome paused, he sighed impatiently. "What?"

"Well," She hesitated. "I have some good news!" She blurted. Inuyasha blinked at her, taken aback.

"The Squirt and you mom are back?" He ventured. Kagome frowned, reminded of the missing relatives, then shook her head.

"Miroku said that you turned human because the curse was weakest then, so it failed to keep you a poltergeist." She explained. Inuyasha watched her expressionlessly. "And it'll probably happen about once a month, because the curse is lunar, or something like that." She tried to remember what Miroku had said. "And… and so you'll turn alive every half moon from sundown to sunrise, but only once a month." She waited for him to show some sign of… well, anything. His eyes merely flickered, a trace of molten gold brewing in their depths a moment before he turned away.

"I figured as much…" He said softly. It was ironic, really. He turned human on the new moon, his demon blood pounded on the full moon, and now he was alive again on the half. He smiled bitterly. Kagome sighed in disappointment. "What?" he asked her/

"I thought you'd be glad…" She admitted. "I thought that I might cheer you up." Her grin turned slightly self-sardonic. "I was hoping to help in some way."

"You already have…" he murmured quietly, back still to her. Kagome's eyes widened in surprise at the remark and inquire as to which comment he'd been referring to, but before she could respond, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

(• .•)

( )

AN: Okay, I'm sorry for anyone who's confused about the Shippo thing! It will be explained, but if I give it away now, it will ruin the surprise, so please don't be too mad about being left in the dark!

Oh yeah… **is** it confusing? **Too** confusing to be an attention-grabbing thing? Tell me if it is, and I'll see if I can fix it without killing it!


	8. Even the Monkey

AN: Well, since the proverbial cat's out of the bag and everyone knows about Shippo's little secret (or at least mweph and random do), then I guess no one was confused about Miroku's stalking of the poor kid… as he's trying to prove "it." Wow, I can't do subtle very well, can I? I thought the big Shippo thing might be confusing, but fortunately I was mistaken.

YES, Kikyo is going to be in this story, but not for forever (pippetjimmy), like in the actual show-thingy, because I tend to make Kikyo a melodramatic sob story, which is not Kikyo. And I don't like her. I respect her and can understand why she does what she does, but I'm not fond of her. I'm an InuKag person myself.

No fear! Don't worry (Livvy22)! Miroku is not going to be evil! I would never make him evil, unless it's evil in a way that he would be because I'm trying to keep everybody in character here. So there's no question about me making him evil on a whim, just because I feel like it. Never!

I'm sorry that I didn't make this clear before (Livvy22), but I thought that I'd mentioned in the last chapter that Inuyasha will turn alive again on the half-moon between no moon and full moon, that it so say there will be no moon, half moon, full moon in that order. Sowwy! (Grins sheepishly)

As to why the transformation (poltergeist to alive-ish) didn't happen before (Sangome), Inuyasha wasn't actively resisting the curse. He was a friendless, identity-lacking, kinda emotionless, specter-thing. But he's slowly becoming alive again, and so the curse that made him a poltergeist is being counteracted (gonna get into that more in later chapters…), so when the curse was weakest, it failed. I'm sorry, but Kouga is gonna stay normal because otherwise he can't visit Kagome every once in a while and make a certain somebody all jealous, thus revealing that certain someone's feelings for another someone….

THANK YOU DEMNTED-SQUIRREL! This is the second posting of this chapter because of you! I thank you very, very much for pointing out my terrible mistake! So I changed it. I can't believe I made Inuyasha pick up that piece of wood. (Hits self on head) THANK YOU, again!

TO READERS: I **just (yes, just)** noticed –to my abject horror- that Mandy, Antonio and Harold (my dividers) have been cruelly ravaged by being posted. To see what they should really look like- if you care at all in the slightest- you should take at them at (Unless of course you're reading it there at this moment, in which case you've seen then and are thinking something like, "no big deal! Don't have a cow!" or whatnot.)

Disclaimer: Who on **earth**- or anywhere else, for that matter- would be so deluded as to believe that I own Inuyasha in some way? (Besides my extensive manga collection). No one, anywhere would be so deluded, right? **Right!**

Haunted

Chapter Eight: Even the Monkey…

"I need a shower." Sango announced to her room. "A nice, long shower." She needed to calm down, relax. Miroku had gotten her upset, with his laid-back attitude on a subject that she considered quite serious. She gathered the necessary hygiene products and clothes before storming out of her room en route to the nearest bathroom. Yes, shower would make her feel much better.

She hurried into the small, peach-tiled bathroom and firmly locked the door, checking it twice before she was satisfied, a habit that she'd picked up after living in the same house with Miroku for just a week.

With a sigh, Sango stepped into the shower, pulling the curtain shut behind her. Hot water worked wonders on a bad mood. She recognized it as a bad mood, something that had the potential to ruin her day.

The almost painfully hot water soothed her, sending up plumes of steam into the bathroom and making the air muggy. Sango closed her eyes, massaging her scalp with shampoo. She let her riled nerves calm and detached herself from her emotions as her father had taught her to do. She had been a child with a wild temper, she remembered, and so her father had taught her how to soothe herself in order to stop the violent tantrums that she had been prone to. The result: she was now a relatively calm and collected individual, with more common sense than most. Thanks to her father.

The dull ache that had grown familiar since the death of her family washed over her, and try as she might, Sango couldn't remove herself from it. She scrubbed vigorously at her skin, as if trying to wash away the feeling. With a resigned sigh, Sango realized that it wasn't removable. It was a part of her now. She'd probably never be rid of it, but she didn't mind at all. After all, it was all she had left of her family, wasn't it? There was no self-pity in Sango's thoughts, only a determined practicality and level-headedness as she examined her situation fully. Sango was no stranger to grief.

Her mother had died when she was seven in a hit and run incident that Sango would never forget. The telephone rang, a young eager Sango expecting a call from her grandmother answered the phone cheerfully. "Hello!"

The man on the other end hesitated. "Hello. Could I please speak to Mr. Miyagi, please?" Sango, disappointed that it wasn't her grandmother wishing her a happy birthday, called to her father, who took his time coming down the stairs, a large graceful cat with silent feet, and took the phone.

Curious about the phone call, a young Sango had stood next to her father and watched her father's face fall into blank shock, to horror, then grief in an instant. "What is it, Dad?" She asked.

Her father placed a trembling hand on her shoulder. "Could you please go get Kohaku and tell him to come to the living room?" He asked slowly, jerkily. Looking back, Sango could understand his point of view. How did you tell a seven-year-old, actually, eight the day after, and a three-year-old that Mommy wasn't coming home again because some drunk truck driver had run a red light and hit her without a second thought, or even looking back?

So she'd grieved, and gotten over it. Regretfully, Sango had no recollection of her mother. She was like an old dear relative whom one sees every decade or so. The incident brought back vague memories of old tears and days of grief, but just memories. As cold and heartless as it sounded, she'd gotten over it. After all, one can't grieve forever, just as one couldn't stay truly angry or happy forever. That's just the way it went.

Sango opened her eyes. Hot water was a wonderful thing, indeed. She felt calmer, soothed, more in control of herself. She would deal with it. She'd get over it, but she'd still miss them. She'd never forget. She'd find the murderers, and make them pay. That's the way those things worked, after all.

Sango turned off the water and grabbed the white fluffy towel that she'd brought in with her. Much better. She felt much better.

(•. •)

(›‹)

"Okay. See you soon!" Shippo chirped. He hung up the phone and bounced gleefully out of the room.

The challenge had been set. The contestants had been readied. Let the games begin!

Casually, Miroku followed Shippo out of the living room, dropping back behind him for inconspicuousness. Shippo didn't seem to notice and he hurried obliviously down the hallway. But if Miroku was right, he was aware of him, all right. He could hear him, smell him, sense him. Well, he wasn't so sure about the sensing part. Shippo turned a corner. Miroku, a few yards behind, turned the corner and blinked in surprise. "Where'd he go?" He wondered aloud.

There was some giggling behind him. "Looking for someone?" Shippo asked casually. Ooh, he was a clever one… Miroku gave him a calculating look.

"How did you do that?" He asked suddenly, trying to catch the small child by surprise. Unfortunately for him, Shippo had been expecting the question.

With a small mischievous smile, Shippo replied cryptically, "Now that would be telling, wouldn't it?" He sang, skipping down the hallway again. He chuckled gleefully to himself. Oh, this was going to be fun!

Miroku sighed and hurried behind him. This was going to be a long and occupying experience. But, if he was right, it would be worth it, indeed. It was obvious that Shippo knew what was going on, too. It was going to be a challenge.

(0.o)

( )

"I thought you'd be glad…" She admitted. "I thought that I might cheer you up." Her grin turned slightly self-sardonic. "I was hoping to help in some way."

"You already have…" he murmured quietly, back still to her. Kagome's eyes widened in surprise at the remark and inquire as to which comment he'd been referring to, but before she could respond, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

She blinked.

And blinked again. If she didn't know any better, Kagome would've sworn that she was dreaming. And a very strange dream at that. One in which Inuyasha had been hit really hard in the head and was saying things that he didn't mean. Maybe he'd snapped? She wondered dazedly. Maybe switching back and forth from being a poltergeist and then alive again broke his head. Or maybe he'd meant it…?

She wanted to believe it. She really did, which shocked her a great deal. She'd figured it was a passing fancy, a little crush. But it had been almost two months, and those things didn't last that long, did they? She pursed her lips and then hurried away from the tree back to the house. She stopped abruptly, several yards away from the back door. No, she needed to think a bit. She wanted solitude. She headed for the hill where she and Inuyasha had spent the early morning, then turned away after walking about a food. "If anyone was watching me right now," She thought with a smile. "They'd think I was nuts." The library/ballroom would be perfect, although now it had a big hole in the ceiling… Fortunately it was unlikely to rain any time soon. She headed back towards the house, took off her shoes at the door and slid it open. She paused for a moment, looking out across the overgrown lawn to the forest, in which was a shed, in which was an urn, in which there was probably a certain poltergeist.

Abruptly, she hurried into the house, sliding the door closed behind her. Down the hall she went, passing by Miroku, who seemed to be stalking an amused Shippo without as much as a "by your leave,". She led around the corner in her socks and carefully, almost reverently, opened the doors to the ballroom. With a gentle sigh, she shut the doors quietly behind her and stood in the middle of the room, looking up at the hole in the ceiling.

Kagome shifted uncomfortably. She felt as if someone was watching her. "Anyone there?" She asked cautiously. She turned her gaze away from the large hole to sweep the room.

"Just me." A familiar voice admitted in the same soft tone he'd used earlier. Inuyasha floated off the bookshelf that he'd been laying on -in the same position as when he'd been lying on it- and sank until he was a few feet off the ground.

"Hi." Kagome ventured. Neither of them spoke for a while, both unsure of what to say despite their familiarity. Kagome found herself staring up at the whole in the ceiling again when Inuyasha broke the silence, he voice echoing in the large room.

"Sorry about that." Kagome slowly brought her gaze down from the patch of blue sky in the otherwise dun ceiling.

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused. Still floating on his stomach, the poltergeist-once-more indicated the ceiling with his finger. "Oh, that." Kagome waved her had airily. "It's okay. At least you didn't make a crater in the ground, right?" She offered with a smile. Her words echoed softly, mocking the silence left in their wake.

Inuyasha looked at her out of the corner of his eye. The clear bright sunlight drifted through the hole and illuminated her face, which held a gentle smile on it. She was looking at the hole in the ceiling again. He looked away, choosing instead to examine the crater that he'd made.

Kagome snuck a glance at her companion. Had she said something wrong? Inuyasha was unusually touchy about the strangest things. "So, what brought you here?" She inquired. It seemed odd that they ended up in the same place to think –or brood, in Inuyasha's case.

He took a deep breath and his eyes stared hard at the ground. "You." He said simply. Kagome stared at him openly this time, mentally urging him to elaborate. And that's exactly what he did. "This first time I saw you, I was on that bookshelf." He told her. "You were admiring the room." He said shortly.

Kagome suddenly sat upright. "I was right all along!" Inuyasha brought his eyes up to look at her in confusion. "I **knew** someone was watching me!" She explained. "But not in a good way. It gave me goose bumps." She admitted sheepishly, tucking a nonexistent strand of hair behind her ear.

"Mm." He said back. His eyes slid inexorably back to the hole in the floor. He'd been remembering, trying to understand what and why. Of course, her arrival in the room had just made him feel more jumbled about the whole topic. Hell, he wasn't even sure what the topic was as of now. He had just been sitting, letting his emotions fly free, uninhibited and tell him what was what. Then he'd figure out why. Then, if he saw fit, he'd shut up the emotions.

"I wonder where Mom and Shippo are…" Kagome was saying. "I hope they're okay. I mean, they should've been back yesterday, or the day before." She worried, tucking another nonexistent strand of inky black hair behind her ear.

"They're probably fine." Inuyasha said, gruffly reassuring. "Worrying about it won't do them any good anyway." Kagome nodded slowly, ignoring the bite to his comments.

She looked out the large windows and at the garden that her mother had started to renew with a sigh. "But still…" She trailed off. "I can't help it, you know?" She smiled ruefully.

Inuyasha nodded. The two of them sat in silence, both avoiding the conversation that had taken place earlier, yet both of them reflecting on it.

(•.•)

( • )—

As she'd once told Kouga, the dead did indeed dance so prettily. They obeyed her every command mindlessly, without hesitation. They were completely loyal, devoted to her as long as she held her fan. The fresh corpses stumbled up the bushy ravine onto Kouga's territory, blood still pouring from some wounds. Kagura couldn't help but smile wickedly. He'd hate her all the more for this… But it was a brilliant plan, if she could say so herself. And for once, it wasn't Naraku's idea.

The corpses stumbled blindly, unseeing eyes rolling in their sockets as they made their way up to the house. Kagura waved her fan gently and one of the cadavers detached itself from the small band to knock. Kouga would be knowing what to suspect. He'd probably smelled them already. She anticipated the rage that would burn in his cerulean eyes as he promised her death yet again for all the hell that she'd given him. And then she would laugh in his face, as usual, unreachable on her feather, and attack him with his own dead kinsmen.

The only warning she got was the snapping of twigs underneath bare feet before Kouga sped past her, his hand missing her gut which he was determined to rip out and feed to his wolves. As she'd presumed, there was a raw, burning fury in his eyes and he headed for her again, completely ignoring the flailing dead that tried to grab him.

He didn't say anything as he leaped for her feather, intent on killing her for good. He'd already said the threats, the insults, everything. Calmly, Kagura brought her feather higher into the air, completely out of reach of the furious man below. It didn't stop him from trying, however. He leaped high into the air, fingers almost touching the bottom edge of the feather. "Oh, so close." Kagura acknowledged with false sympathy.

Then, he did speak. "Something wrong, Kagura?" The way he spat her name was akin to the vehemence one would use with a curse word. "Care to come down and finish this once and for all?" He raged below her, gasping for breath between each jump.

"I'd rather see you fight them," Kagura indicated the dead surrounding the angry man. "It would be so much more interesting." Kouga growled at her. "What a waste." She sighed prettily. "And after all the trouble I went through to prepare them."

Kouga's eyes were like cold bright jewels as he answered her between gritted teeth. "You're sick, Kagura." Of course, he'd already told her that before, but it didn't matter. "Come down! Stop hiding!" He roared helplessly. He jumped again, and Kagura had the dead run under him in a group. When he realized what was going on, he tried desperately for the feather, fingers just skimming the underside.

He fell back to earth, hitting the dead bodies of his clan. They fell to earth, bones crunching, cold dead flesh hitting the ground with a meaty thud. He howled his rage to the skies and Kagura laughed, reveling in the sight, in her power to hurt him so terribly. She laughed at his as he screamed his fury, feet covered in the blood of his relatives. He was right, she was sick. So very, very sick.

She was so intent on him that she didn't feel the small round thing that sped through her wind, didn't hear it as it whistled closer. Then it his her in the shoulder. With a hoarse cry, Kagura nearly toppled off of her feather. The pain was intense, bone-achingly so. A deep, painful throb spread down her right arm. Stunned, she let go of her winds. Her feather drifted closer to the ground. With a glad shout, Kouga leaped again. But his legs were tired; she was still out of reach. Magenta eyes wide in shock, face betraying childish surprise, she drifted closer. Kouga braced himself, leaping into the air at the right moment.

Kagura very nearly didn't make it. Fortunately, she slumped forward precisely the right moment, and Kouga's would-be deathblow aimed for her face instead brushed the top of her head, pulling out a clump of hair and giving a great cry of exasperated rage. The sharp pain in her head was just what Kagura needed, however. With a start, she sat up on her feather, eyes glazed in pain as blood flowed from the wound. That was careless, she thought to herself. Wearily, she summoned her winds around her and rose in the air and away, not bothering with any witty comments to Kouga as she went.

"Damn." How had it gone wrong? They'd been so close to killing her that time. Kouga stared unseeingly at the dead bodies of his clansmen. The bullet a little higher, the death blow a little lower… She was damned lucky. He clenched his fist tightly around the piece of hair he'd torn out of her head.

Ginta, closely followed by Hakakku, ran up to him. "Did you get her?" They asked anxiously. They stared uneasily at their cousin. Kouga was staring at a length of black hair in his hand. "Kouga?"

"She's gone," He bared his teeth in a grimace. "Come on." He walked to a small shed next to the house and unlocked it. He pulled out three shovels and handed one to each cousin, keeping on for himself.

Ginta and Hakakku expressed their regrets and began digging in silence, all three of them thinking. Kouga gritted his teeth and dragged a dead corpse into the grave he'd dug. The earth was rich here, nourished with many other dead done in by Kagura. His property was filled with dead bodies that Kagura had made walk onto his property.

She was the reason why he and his cousins were the only people around for miles. All the neighbors that live close by had been his kinsmen. She'd killed them all off in a huge massacre, the horde of dead stampeding across his property. Naturally, he'd never forgiven her and never would. And he still didn't know why she attacked in the first place, completely unprovoked.

Kouga burrowed his shovel deep into the earth, rich and moist from death. Hell, he didn't give a damn about why she attacked any more. He just wanted to kill her. He let a small savage pleasure seep into his mind. They'd made her bleed, made her hurt. They'd been so close to giving her an eternity in hell…

The shovel bit into the ground again and Kouga flung the dark brown dirt over his shoulder with a grunt. He carefully grabbed the nearest body and placed into the makeshift grave. There was not time for anything else. Who knew when the wind bitch would strike again? Damn her to hell...

(0.o)

( )

Delighted giggled bubbled from Shippo's grinning mouth. He crawled under the fence with ease and walked into the forest. This was going to be interesting. A muffled curse came from behind him. "Potty mouth!" Shippo shouted gleefully. "Miroku's a potty mouth!" He was having so much fun… Miroku was putting himself through hell willingly.

"I suggest we go back to the house," Miroku called. "There could be all sorts of things back here that would delight in eating a small kitsu-" He cut himself off. He had no proof… yet. "child." He finished.

"Inuyasha probably scared them all away with his dog breath." Shippo replied and ducked underneath a bush, then over a log. He was going to find the longest and most hazardous trip through the forest.

"What's that about my breath?" Inuyasha's voice echoed between the trees and the poltergeist appeared with a puff of grey smoke, eye to eye with Shippo as he floated on his stomach.

Shippo leaped back in surprise before retorting wittily. "You don't have any." He grinned at Inuyasha's eyes flashed gold for an instant.

"I'm gonna get you on the next half moon, Brat." He warned. Miroku crashed about in the foliage behind them and the annoyed dirty man shoved his way through a bush.

"I must admit, Inuyasha." Miroku pulled a wet leaf off of his face in distaste. "You walked right into that one."

"And you're nest on my list, monk." The poltergeist growled lazily, still at eyelevel with Shippo. An ear flicked in the purple-eyed man's direction.

"Where's Kagome on that list?" Shippo asked wickedly. He was rewarded when Inuyasha's grey cheeks flushed peach, then bloomed pink.

"Well beneath **you**!" The angry spectral half-demon made a futile swipe at the ginger-haired boy. Shippo chuckled and continued on his merry way down the nonexistent forest path.

"What are you doing, Miroku?" Inuyasha asked curiously as the man sighed wearily and tramped down the ravine after Shippo.

"Following Shippo." Miroku indicated the rustling bushes as the mischievous child scrambled through a bush.

Inuyasha raised his eyebrows incredulously at him. "Is it really worth it?" He stared blatantly at Miroku's current state of being.

"Quite." Miroku pushed a branch out of his way and let it fly. The branch whipped back through Inuyasha's head. The determined man slipped on some dry leaves and fell on his rear with an "oof!"

"Why?" Miroku picked himself off the ground and started off after the ginger-haired child. He hopped over a bush and plunged into another with a muffled exclamation.

"Because I could be right," Miroku answered cryptically, unwilling to tell the poltergeist any more. He might laugh at him and call him an idiot like the rest of them. "And if I am, than I must know."

"Uh," Inuyasha floated effortlessly next to Miroku as he fought his way through a large growth of vegetation. "Well, I think you've lost him now." Miroku shook his head.

"Can't lose him," He gasped and slid down the slope of the ravine. "Shit!" Inuyasha's eyes widened in surprise. Miroku wasn't one for cursing, of course, in this case… The poor man had slid into the small brook at the bottom. Although it was only two feet deepest at most, Miroku had somehow managed to get completely soaked. "That was lucky."

Inuyasha snorted derisively. "Lucky?" He echoed incredulously. Miroku picked himself up and tried unsuccessfully to wring himself out a bit.

"Lucky that I didn't hit my head on any rocks and die, lucky that I didn't break anything." He flicked his wet bangs out of his eyes before continuing stubbornly after where he assumed Shippo had gone. "With my luck today, I probably would be."

"Uh, Miroku?" Inuyasha paused, floating above the middle of the stream. "Shippo went that way." He indicated the other side of the river that they'd come from.

"What?" The wet and bedraggled man plunged across the stream again. "Are you sure? Did you see him?" He peered up ahead.

Inuyasha tapped his nose. "I can smell him." Not as well as before, but it was enough to pick up his disguised scent. "And I can see the tracks." He pointed to the little sneaker tracks in the mud by the riverbank, then some disturbed foliage.

"Well then," Miroku pulled his shirt away from his chest and wrung the cold material out. "Lead on!" he pointed ahead dramatically. Inuyasha shook his head and came to the conclusion that Miroku was a true weirdo.

(• .•)

( )

Shippo grinned as he looked out the kitchen window. It'd take Miroku a while to figure out that he hadn't stayed in the forest for very long at all. He'd probably be stomping around in there for at least an hour, if he asked for Inuyasha's help. As a poltergeist, Shippo realized that Inuyasha didn't have a superb sense of smell or hearing. The two of them would probably follow around the Shippo-simulacrum's trail for hours before giving up and coming home.

And imagine their surprise when they would find Shippo waiting for them! Shippo giggled again and reached up on the tips of his toes for the door to the refrigerator. Managing to open it, the ginger-haired miscreant looked around the food, deciding what to eat. Milk? Nah. Pickles, orange juice, pickles, cheese, pickles, sliced ham, pickles- why had Mr. Higurashi insisted on so many jars of pickles? – leftover rice, nah. Shippo closed the door with disappointment and leaped at the door to the freezer, where there was surely some ice cream or something else yummy and sweet and cold.

"Got it!" Shippo said triumphantly. Now all he had to do was open it. The poor kid was hanging from the freezer door. After a pause for though, Shippo pushed his legs against the refrigerator door. The freezer door swung open, Shippo still attached, breathing out a sigh of frigid air. Dropping from the door, Shippo leaped into the air to see into the freezer. Was that an ice cream tub he'd gotten a glimpse of?

There was a smothered chuckle from behind him. Shippo whirled around, worried that it was Miroku. Sango stood in the doorway, a hand on the doorway and a smile on her lips. "Need some help?" She asked him. Shippo nodded and she picked him up so that he was eyelevel to the freezer.

"Ice cream!" Shippo gave a delighted cry and squirmed in Sango's grasp. "Ice cream, ice cream!" He chanted jubilantly. Sango laughed quietly and picked up the much-anticipated tub. She placed it on the table with Shippo and closed the freezer door. When she turned around again, Shippo had opened the tub of ice cream and his hand was smothered with the frozen confection, closed eyes the picture of bliss.

"Are you allowed to eat that now?" Sango asked him. Shippo opened one bright green eye to look at her reproachfully. He hugged the tub close to his chest protectively.

"You're no fun," He complained and sucked on the tips of his fingers. His green eyes watched her carefully, a hint of pleading in them. Shippo would never beg outright, but he knew how to be subtle about it.

Naturally, Sango gave in. Who could resist those shining green eyes? "Oh, I'm sure I could overlook it." Shippo gave her a big grin, the sticky ice cream smeared all over his face. "Just don't tell, okay?" She whispered to him and handed him a spoon.

Shippo nodded and brought out a huge spoonful of the partially melted ice cream and miraculously managed to fit the whole thing in his mouth. He savored it for a moment before swallowing it. Sango watched him with an amused smile.

Suddenly, the ginger-haired boy froze and grabbed his head. "Don't make yourself sick," Sango teased. Shippo hunched over, hands on his head and whimpering. Uh oh. With her luck, he had an allergy that she wasn't aware of, perhaps of dairy. "Shippo!" She leaned forwards, staring close at the poor child as he closed his eyes in agony. "Shippo!" She shook him gently and he didn't respond. "I'm gonna call emergency." She decided and rushed into the living room to grab the phone.

"No!" Sango stopped, her hand reaching for the phone as he spoke. "Brain freeze!" He wailed, topping on his side, the big silver spoon that Sango gave him dropping on the table and splattering melted ice cream on the table. "Oww, it hurts!" He shook his head vigorously.

Sango sighed with relief. Trust Shippo to get all melodramatic. She sat down at the table and wiped the ice cream off of the table with a rag. "It'll pass in a bit," She assured the kid.

"I know," Shippo said, hands still clasped to his head. "This always happens. I keep forgetting, though." He picked the spoon up off of the table –Sango wiping the sticky stuff off of the wood- and placed it back in his mouth. He was about to stick it back in the tub when Sango presented him with a bowl.

"No getting your germs all over the ice cream," She told him firmly, a strong believer in hygiene. "I like ice cream too. Use the bowl." He nodded in acknowledgement and dug out as much ice cream as he could into the bowl.

After a moment of watching him eat way too much ice cream for his own good, Sango casually ventured a question. "Seen Miroku around anywhere?" She frowned as Shippo went stock still for a moment, the grinned evilly.

"Inuyasha's leading him around in the woods," he laughed. "looking for me!" The laughter subsided after a moment and the little miscreant attended his ice cream bowl again.

Sango looked at him in confusion. "Why?" She asked finally. Shippo merely giggled and shook his head as the ice cream began to take root in his system.

"I can't tell, it's a secret." He chuckled. "Miroku's being silly, and Inuyasha doesn't know the difference!" He bounced on the table, the ice bowl nearly empty. "They'll never catch me!" He leaped off the table, ice cream tub in tow.

But Sango was quick, very quick. She caught the hyperactive boy before he'd gone two feet. "Oh no, you don't." She held him up by the back of his shirt. "You leave the ice cream here." She grabbed the tub from her and set him back down. "Now run along." She shoed him off.

Shippo giggled again and ran out of the room and thumped up the stairs, feet pattering away into the distance. Sango shook her head. He was going to feel very sick later… She wiped off the table with the dishcloth and put the ice cream back in the freezer, shaking her head. And what **were** Miroku and Inuyasha up to?

She sighed and walked into the living room, picking up a book on her way to the couch. She felt like reading, anyway. She suddenly gasped suddenly and snapped the book shut, then looked at the cover. Obviously Miroku's… She put the book back where she found it, her face quite red from embarrassment.

"That idiot…." The insult lacked bite, however. "Where is he…?" Sango murmured.

(• .•)

( )

She felt faint, dizzy.

Feverishly, Kagura looked at her arm again. Knowing those damned wolves, there was probably something poisonous coating the bullet and the only reason she wasn't dead yet was because she was demon. Her hand was clasped tight over the hole in her shoulder and her left arm was completely numb, the fingers tingling and cold. The blood had finally clotted and dried, the iron tang invading her nose as she hastened to the cave. By the time she got there, she should be a bit more presentable.

If Kagura was anything, she was fiercely proud to a fault. She would never, ever come running to Naraku of all people, begging to be healed. She didn't need him, didn't want him, but he controlled her. And she hated him for it, of course.

Her hold on the wound lessened as she felt the muscles reknit themselves, the shattered fragments of bone move together. Slowly, her arm reassembled itself. "Kouga…" She murmured wickedly. "Don't go to sleep tonight. I'm going to pay you a visit." Her head bobbed on her weakened neck as the feather encountered slight turbulence. Revenge was a bitter victory, but it would be hers nonetheless.

(•.•)

( )

Kagome knew that Inuyasha was gone, though she didn't see him or hear him leave. She just felt an emptiness where his presence had once been. She didn't even blame him. After all, he'd come to the ballroom to be alone and try to think, just as she did. So after he left, Kagome stayed by in the big room all by herself, looking up at the hole in the ceiling for some strange reason as she thought, letting her mind drift wherever it willed.

She didn't know how long she sat there, only that he butt was getting kind of numb from being on the floor so long. Kagome stood up and brushed off her skirt before sitting in an old dusty chair behind an uninstalled bookshelf, maneuvering around some old scraps of wood and paper that Inuyasha's fall had dislodged from their proper places. She looked up at the bright patch of sky in the ceiling again and gasped, eyes widening in surprise.

Kagome didn't even think twice. She dove under the chair, peering out from behind a broken board as the giant white feather descended. Barely daring to breathe- her respiration seemed to echo dramatically in the room- she watched an elegant yet wounded figure stumble off the feather. The large pinion shrank and the strange magenta-eyed woman stuck it in her hair, grasping her shoulder all the while.

Under normal circumstances, upon seeing the amount of blood that was covering the woman's clothes and hands would've rushed out to help. But these were no ordinary circumstances. The woman had arrived on a giant shrinking feather, and Kagome felt a strong malevolence, something cold and alien, about her. She wasn't coming out, even if the woman keeled over dead.

"Just like old times, huh?" The woman addressed the room in a hoarse sardonic tone. She looked at the hole in the floor meditatively. "Someone's been doing some remodeling while I've been away." She remarked. Regarding the ceiling, she amended her statement. "Or some fool doing daredevil tricks." The strange woman sat down heavily and pulled her hand away from her arm. "That bastard Kouga."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Kouga?" She wondered, not aloud of course. "What does he have to do with it…?" The woman pulled the torn cloth away from her arm with a wince. "Did he… Why!" The Kouga she'd met had been uncouth and impulsive, but not so violent. Of course, she didn't really know Kouga…

"Ouch." She hissed, her fingers digging into the nasty hole in her arm. Blood spurted forth onto the floor in a wet smattering of sound. "Those wolves are getting clever, to think of such a distraction." She murmured to herself, the word echoing throughout the room so that Kagome heard them.

Oh, so it was Kouga's wolves. But that made no sense. Maybe they'd attacked her for being on the property. The woman was facing away now, grabbing a splinter of wood off of the ground. Kagome watched with baited breath and wide brown eyes the older pulled up her shirt to get at the wound better, revealing a large spider-shaped scar on her back. It looked as if it was done with a branding iron, or something.

Kagome decided frantically that she was in a gang and that was their symbol, and the feather, well, it was… Logic dictated that the feather didn't exist. So it was just a figment of her imagination. That settled it, she thought haphazardly, her mind so panicked that she didn't stop to register her thoughts.

"Kagome, Kagome," Kagome heard Shippo trying to sing the old nursery rhyme, but forgetting the words. "Kagome, Kagome!" He sang again. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" he giggled. Kagome could help but make a face. He sounded like he was drunk. If Miroku gave him her grandfather's sake- and it was sacramental sake, at that! - she'd kill him.

The effect that the child's voice had on the strange woman was radically different from Kagome's. She'd been dozing gently and suddenly sat bolt upright in surprise, wincing because of her arm. She frowned in irritation and pulled out her feather again. Kagome watched intently as it grew. The woman hopped on and soared up into the sky with a brisk rush of wind.

And she was gone.

Kagome blinked, still hidden under the chair. What if it was just a trick, and the woman was still there? "What on **earth** are you doing?" A voice grumbled. "Is it just me, or is everybody acting like nuts today?"

Kagome jumped and hit her head on the bottom of the chair. "Ow!" She crawled out from underneath it and sat down on the floor to nurse her head.

"What were you doing?" Inuyasha asked again, watching her curiously. Kagome rubbed her head on last time and tucked a nonexistent strand of hair behind her ear, a telltale sign that she was nervous or unsure about something. He smirked slightly. He could read Kagome like a book. Or better, since he hadn't tried to read in over five hundred years.

"You're gonna call me crazy," She began. "But I swear that I'm not lying!" She put her hands up in defense before Inuyasha had the chance to say anything.

"KAGOME, KAGOME!" Shippo howled. "WHERE ARE YOU, KAGOME!" Apparently he'd made a few, adaptations to the song's tune and lyrics. He threw the doors to the ballroom open with a bang, a peeved and dirty Miroku closely pursuing him.

"KAGOME, KAGOME!" Shippo leaped an incredible two yards and landed on Kagome's head. "I FOUND THE KAGOME!" He laughed. Miroku stomped in after him and shut the doors tightly, lest any sugar-crazed children tried to escape without him.

"Shut up, Brat." Inuyasha snapped at the crazy child. "Kagome's trying to tell me something." Shippo was silent for a while and Kagome took a deep breath.

"As I was saying-"

"INUYAAAASHA! INUYAAASHA!" Shippo burst out, very much out of tune. "STINKS LIKE DOGGIES!" Sango opened the doors a crack and peered in with curiosity before stepping in the room and closing the doors firmly behind her for the same reasons as Miroku.

"Shippo." Miroku said sharply. "Hush, let Kagome speak." But Shippo had a devious green spark in his eye and was not deterred in the slightest. Sango sighed and sat down next to the bemused raven-haired girl. Ice cream had certainly been a bad idea.

"MIROKU, MIROKU!" He tried. "I'M BEIN' STALKED BY MIROKU!" Miroku looked at the swooning kid in irritation.

"Hey, Shippo!" Kagome whispered in his ear. "Guess what?" Shippo blinked drowsily. He was in the stage when the sugar-high became a sugar-low, yet still had the capacity to be weird and annoying.

"KAGOME, KAGOME!" He belted out, breath reeking of warm ice cream. Kagome winced and Inuyasha wrinkled his nose.

"I have a secret, Shippo!" Kagome tried desperately. Shippo shut up immediately and looked at her solemnly. "It's very important, and I need to tell everyone, okay?"

Shippo thought for a moment before replying. "But, then it's not a secre-" Kagome nodded vigorously and cut him off.

"I'm glad you agree." She told him quickly. Miroku and Inuyasha exchanged glances. "Now." She turned back to Inuyasha and Miroku. "Now, I know it sounds crazy, but just let me tell you what happened, okay?" They were intrigued and nodded for her to go on. "Well, I was sitting in that chair-" She pointed to the old, moth-eaten chair- "And just looking at the hole in the ceiling when this giant feather came down out of the sky and landed in the room. I hid underneath the chair- that's when you saw me, Inuyasha- and watched her. She had a wound on her arm and she was talking about Kouga and something about old times and the house and remodeling and daredevils and wolves and ambushes. Kouga's wolves, I think they bit her really bad. They ambushed her because she was on his property, probably." Kagome took a deep breath and continued.

"And then she lifted up the hem of her shirt to see the wound in her shoulder better"- Miroku watched her in fascination- "and there was this big burn mark on her back that looked like a spider. And then Shippo was singing and she flew away. On her feather." Kagome concluded, blushing slightly.

Silence. They all stared at her in surprise. Then Shippo said, "Well, I had this dream once where I was surrounded by corn and I was trying to eat it but it kept flying away." He looked at her solemnly.

"I wasn't sleeping." She told him flatly. Shippo looked disappointed. Miroku hesitated before speaking.

"Are you sure that it was, well, really there? Not just some imagining?" He asked skeptically, running a hand through his curiously damp and twig-ridden hair. "I have read legends in which such things were possible, but…" he trailed off.

"It really happened!" Kagome protested. "There was this cold, evil coming off of her and it made me all tingly and I know it was real!" She waved her hands in the air.

"She's right." Inuyasha confirmed quietly. The other three turned to look at him. He drifted a few inches over the floor in the middle of the room. As soon as he was sure he had their attention, he pointed at a splattering of reddish-black blood that lay on the floor. "And here's the proof."

(•. •)

( • )

Sango couldn't help but stare as Miroku tramped through the doors, looking decidedly worse for wear. There were twigs from various plants in his wet and tangled hair and he was damp all over as if he'd gotten all wet a while ago. There were several scratches on his let arm and a long gash on his right. "What in the name of…" Sango trailed off. "What happened to **you**?" She put down the newspaper and stood up.

"I went on a journey of discovery." Miroku replied piously. "With a ghost as a guide and nothing but the clothes on my back, brave adventurer that I am." He took off his dirty, waterlogged socks and put them outside.

"I'm a **poltergeist**," Inuyasha explained patiently. "I'm not a ghost." How many times did he have to explain it to them?

"Poetic license," Miroku replied as he pulled the various twigs and plant vegetation out of his hair. Sango disappeared for a few minutes and came back with the first aide kit in hand.

"Ah, thank you, Sango." He received the box reverently. "Salvation is at hand!" Sango stared at him, perplexed as he rifled through the box.

"Did you get yourself **drunk**?" She asked incredulously. "Because it sure looks like it." Miroku was certainly acting strange…

"I told you," Miroku pulled out some rubbing alcohol and poured some on a cotton swab. "that I was on a mission of discovery." Inuyasha snorted.

"And what did you discover?" He asked, arms folded across a spectral chest as he floated a few inches above the ground.

"That poltergeists aren't good guides." Miroku replied. Inuyasha glared at him. "And that Shippo is a very clever young man who delights in the pain in others. Unless," He turned on Inuyasha. "You two were in it together."

"Nonsense." Inuyasha snorted and looked away huffily. "Why would I ever team up with The Brat? There's nothing in it for me…" Miroku idly taped a band-aid to wrist over a scratch.

"That's what you'd want me to think!" Miroku said triumphantly. "Now, let's just say, hypothetically, that you were in it with Shippo, and-" Inuyasha cut him off with another snort as he floated towards the door.

"Why would I do it, though?" He challenged with an irritated glance over his shoulder as he drifted slowly nearer and nearer the door.

"Because you have certain… similar traits." Miroku suggested coyly. Inuyasha whirled around and suddenly Miroku found himself face to face with the angry poltergeist.

"That's not true!" Inuyasha retorted hotly. "Shippo is a whiny little brat! I'm nothing like him!" He huffed.

"I'm not referring to personality traits, Inuyasha." Miroku told him with a subtle smile. Inuyasha looked at him curiously. Sango did too.

"I mean, you two are… distant relatives. Half-cousins." Miroku tried. "Similar physically." He decided. Sango was watching the two of them carefully, apparently keen on her newspaper but more keen on the conversation unfolding before him.

It dawned on him, Miroku could tell. Inuyasha knew what he meant. "You're getting your families mixed up, monk." He said gruffly.

"But nonetheless you understand what I mean," Miroku pulled another leaf out of his hair. "And that is what I'm trying to get at." Sango peered over the edge of her newspaper at them. She was completely in the dark on this one.

"And now, I'm off to find our little miscreant." Miroku sighed and looked down at himself. "And after that, I'm going to find some time to change." He decided firmly. His clothes were most certainly not comfortable as is. "Shippo!" He called wearily. "Shippo, come out!"

"He'll be running around the house somewhere," Sango said suddenly. Miroku turned. He'd forgotten she was there. She didn't seem to have paid much attention to him and Inuyasha, though.

"Why is that?" Miroku asked with increasing dread. He was envisioning snares, booby traps and all manner of terrible things that the mischievous child would've had time to set up.

"Umm," Sango shifted nervously in her seat. "He had a bit of ice cream this afternoon while you were away." A little? What an understatement. Miroku was going to give her hell when he found out.

"Why?" Miroku asked her. "Why on earth did you give him ice cream? Why now?" He looked exasperated and pulled a twig out of his hair. "How many of these things are still on my head?" He asked himself.

"Whoops." Sango said carelessly. Miroku merely shook his head in defeat and left the room to go follow the sugar-crazed child around the house. Inuyasha disappeared with a small puff of smoke. She went back to her newspaper.

(•. •)

( )

A great calamity broke out simultaneously, Sango exclaiming over the color of the blood, Shippo crinkling his nose, saying it smelled weird, and Miroku leaning over for a closer look, exclaiming over the strange story.

"Well, that settles it," Sango crouched over the droplets on the floor. "There was a lady on a feather, and she felt evil. When she heard Shippo, she flew away." Kagome blushed and opened her mouth to speak.

"I know how stupid it sounds." She admitted. "But that's what I saw. It's like those people on the TV shows that talk about seeing aliens and spaceships or being abducted. It's crazy."

"But in this case," Miroku acknowledged, "true. Very true." There was a gleam in his eye, one of excitement. Hesitantly he brought a finger closer to the blood on the floor in morbid fascination.

"Don't touch it!" Inuyasha barked out. Miroku backed away hurriedly. At his questioning look, Inuyasha explained. "It's partially demon miasma, which is strange." He brought his nose closer to the floor sniffed it.

"So what would happen if we **did** touch it?" Shippo asked, peering out at the stuff from behind Kagome's thigh as she crouched next to it.

Inuyasha indicated the fragments of wood scattered across the floor. "See for yourself." Miroku grabbed a handy piece of splintered wood and dipped the tip into the blackish-red pool. The wood sizzled and melted. With wide eyes, everyone scooted away from the dangerous stuff. "That's what would happen." Miroku tossed the bubbling piece of wood away hastily.

"Youch." Kagome commented. "But how could that be blood?" She wondered aloud. She was surprised when it was Miroku and not Inuyasha who answered.

"It's potent demon-blood." He explained. "Very, very potent. And that explains the woman's feather." He frowned a moment before continuing. "Miasmic demon blood?" he wondered. "But how?" he stared at the stuff as if searching it for answers.

Inuyasha looked at him curiously. "How do you know about it? Demon blood and miasma?" Everyone looked at him as the poltergeist spoke.

Miroku shrugged vaguely and looked at the demon blood. "I grew up in a temple. My foster father taught me about it." He shifted slightly, uncomfortably. He was hiding something, Inuyasha realized. But what?

"So demons do still exist." Kagome said slowly. "And… and… they walk among us!" It sounded like some old sci-fi flick, but it summed it up perfectly.

"Hm." Sango hummed calmly at Kagome's outburst. It was a good thing she knew demon-lore, then. Well, she knew how to kill 'em.

"So what are we gonna do?" Kagome asked. "Should we do anything?" She'd grown up believing that demons were terrifying creatures of evil, but now… Inuyasha certainly wasn't evil, and he was a demon. And the lady, though she felt evil, had acted like one, not like some mindless killing machine.

Shippo trembled by her side. "Nothing." Miroku said calmly. He knew what happened when you tried to tell people about those sorts of things. They called you crazy and laughed. And kicked you out of school. "What can we do?"

He glanced at Shippo. The kid watched him carefully, too.

(•. •)

( )

Miroku was starting to get on his nerves. Shippo glanced behind him and just as before, there was Miroku, trailing him like a lost dog. He needed to get away, or he'd be discovered. Shippo suddenly sprinted around the corner of the hallway and crashed into the bathroom. He was small, he could fit behind the trashcan, next to the toilet and Miroku would never know.

A moment later, Shippo heard heavy footfalls down the hallway. Closets opened and closed as Miroku searched. The bathroom door creaked open and Shippo suddenly found himself face to face with the triumphant adult. He squeaked and shot out of the bathroom, sprinting pell-mell down the halls, turning left then right, tumbling down one flight of stairs and then turning another corner and don't look back because Miroku was behind him- Shippo's heart raced as he slammed open a door and ended up in the basement. He peeked out around the door and say Miroku walk jog outside in search of him. The cool air soothed his nerves as he closed the door and trotted behind a cardboard box. With a shuddering sigh, the ginger-haired boy relaxed for a moment, closing his eyes and pulling a small scrap of parchment out from behind his ear.

Shippo's image flickered and changed. The revealed demon flicked his big bushy fox-tail and stretched out his fox feet. Suddenly he stiffened, baring small pearly fangs in the gloom. Someone was there. He could smell them, hear them. Kagome's story about the strange woman floated to the surface of his mind. "Foxfire!"

A small flame flickered into life on his fingertip and he threw it into the darkness. It gleamed like a flare, flickering as it drifted slowly to the ground. Shippo gulped. Where were they? The person… He whirled around and met a green gaze. "Foxfire!"

Buyo blinked, not in the least bit alarmed. Whew. Only a cat. A big, fat cat. Said bulky feline wandered away, and the mischevious boy let out a sigh of relief. He opened a small fist and let the spell sit in his palm. He pressed his hands together and they began to glow slightly with pale fire as Shippo renewed the spell. Suddenly the cardboard he was hiding behind was hurled away and Miroku stood before him, pointing an accusatory finger, a delighted grin on his face.

"Caught in the act, kitsune!" He smiled. Shippo gritted his teeth. Damn. He was caught, after so many years of maintaining his secret. The revealed kitsune gulped as an old saying floated into his mind.

"Even the monkey falls from the tree."

(0.o)

( )

AN: I know, bad grammar on the 2nd paragraph from the last divider! But it's supposed to be, don't worry. It is expressing Shippo's panic as he runs from Miroku. Why is he panicked? My answer: ever play, "hide and go seek" in the dark? Even though you know the person who's seeking you out, you can't help but scream in terror when they poke their face out from behind whatever and shout, "Boo!" and surprise you. Or maybe that's just me… Let's just call it instinct, on Shippo's part and inherent weirdness on my own.

…and I have "Stoned" by Dido stuck in my head for some inexplicable reason…

Anyway…

Thanks for reading! Tell me whatcha think!


	9. Homecoming

AN: So yeah, I started some strange one-shots when I should've been writing this chapter… So here's this chapter now! Ta daaa!

Thanks for all the wonderfully kind things that have been said about my story thus far! I really, really enjoyed reading them! (Gave me a swollen head the rest of the day, went swaggering about everywhere like the queen of the world.) You're too kind! Thank you SO much!

Disclaimer: Must I do it? Must I tell you again and again that I don't own anything! No, I don't really need to. You're all smart. You've figured it out by now, you knew even before you my first disclaimer. If I **did** happen to own Inuyasha, this wouldn't be fanfiction, because it would be like the original thing and yeah. (I'm wandering, here…) I don't get these things, really. Some stupid legal procedure that doesn't matter anyway because we all know that I don't own Inuyasha by now. Right?

Haunted

Chapter Nine: Homecoming

"Relax, Shippo." Miroku said uncomfortably after the silence stretched between them. "I'm not going to burn you on a stake." Shippo relaxed slightly and a slim flame that was fluttering on his finger guttered and died in an instant.

"Well, what **are** you going to do with me?" The kitsune asked in a small voice. Miroku crouched down next to the small child. His parents had always told him that humans killed demons when they were found out. They'd proved themselves when they'd been killed in the same way.

"I'm going to stop following you around." Miroku told him wryly. "You put me through a lot of pain, you know that?" Miroku had unconsciously adopted the role of soothing caretaker. "I don't want to do that ever again."

"You've got a twig in your hair." Shippo told him solemnly, scrambling onto the man's shoulder and pulling it out.

"See what I mean?" Miroku mourned, walking up the stairs and out of the basement. "You have caused me much pain, Shippo." Miroku slipped back into his old self. Shippo looked at him with his trademark mischievous grin, this time accompanied by small fangs, Miroku noticed. He was going to have to get used to that.

"Hey, I'm not the once who led you on a false trail." He told Miroku. "That was Inuyasha, not me. Blame him." Anything to get the poltergeist in trouble…

"But you're the one who deceived Inuyasha." Miroku pointed out. "He was quite embarrassed, you know." He was more than embarrassed. He was upset, reminded that he was only a shadow of his former self, a pale reflection. But Shippo didn't need to know that part. He'd probably end up insulting the poor poltergeist about it.

"So what are we gonna do?" Shippo resumed thinking about the current state of affairs. "Should I put the spell back on?" Now that he had an adult to rely on, Shippo decided that he would let Miroku help him make decisions. A second opinion is always valuable in making decisions of considerable importance. In fact, he felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He no longer had to worry about keeping his secret from everyone. Miroku would help him do it. He was a valuable ally.

"No," Miroku said slowly, thinking. "Kagome won't mind, After all, she and Inuyasha are… friends." And a little bit more, if their actions were anything to go by… "And Sango is an open-minded person, who accepts Inuyasha as well." Shippo nodded as he sat on Miroku's shoulder. "You'll be fine."

"Yeah." Shippo nodded vigorously on his shoulder. He knew that Miroku was right. So why was his stomach flip-flopping it's way up his throat? Shippo recalled the amount of ice cream that he'd consumed. Oh yeah, that might be it.

(O.o)

( )

"So, you said you sensed an evil coming off of her?" Mr. Higurashi asked his granddaughter. When Kagome nodded, the old man placed his steaming cup of tea on the table and nodded sagely. "It is as I suspected."

"What?" Kagome asked, confused. Talking to her grandfather was a long and complicated process. He'd sit and listen, then say something followed by a long stream of explanation.

But this time, the senior surprised her. "You've inherited my spiritual powers." He said simply. Kagome blinked. Inuyasha snorted and Mr. Higurashi looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"You don't have any spiritual powers!" The poltergeist scoffed. "Kagome's got 'em, alright. But not from you." He knew whom she got them from. If her physical appearance was anything to go by, she was even that person's reincarnation.

The old man bristled in outrage. "Do you question my holy powers?' He asked intimidating. "I warn you, they are not to be trifled with!"

Inuyasha pretended to think for a moment before replying. "Yes. I question your 'holy powers'." He said flatly. "I question their existence."

"I have spiritual powers!" The old man protested. "I can prove it! I'm the keeper of an ancestral shine, whose powers have been passed down generation to generation!"

"And didn't the shrine that you're the 'keeper' of burn down?" Inuyasha smirked as the old mad stuttered in outrage. "And those scraps of paper that you tried to exorcise me with didn't do anything." He added in smugly. "Neither did the wards on the house."

The senior didn't respond to that. "Well, the point is, I have, umm, spiritual powers, right?" Kagome added in hastily before the confrontation got any worse. Yet another thing come true that she didn't believe in… "So… what's it do?" She asked sheepishly. Inuyasha and Mr. Higurashi stopped bickering to stare at her in surprise.

"You don't know?" Inuyasha asked incredulously. "How can you not know and come from a shrine family?" Kagome blushed.

"After all I taught you!" Mr. Higurashi wailed. "After all the legends and the stories and the lessons! You forgot!" He placed his head in his hands in despair. Kagome's blush deepened.

"Yes, I forgot!" She snapped. "So will you just tell me already?" Inuyasha snorted at her. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately…

"You can make spells word, set up wards against demons. Maybe even purify them." Inuyasha shrugged. If she was anything like Kikyo… which so far she wasn't, he realized. Except they looked kinda the same. He inspected Kagome brusquely. The black-haired girl turned pink in embarrassment at his scrutiny.

"You're just as bad as Miroku!" She cried, hurrying away from the table. "And a lot less subtle about it!" She hurried out of the room to escape his gaze. "If I could, I'd hit you with something heavy!"

Inuyasha's cheeks turned peach, then pink at Kagome's accusations. "Hey, it's not what you think!" He protested. "And I'm not like Miroku at all!" He huffed. Mr. Higurashi stared at the poltergeist's colored face and outstretched one finger to point.

Inuyasha looked at him irritably. "Something for you?" He asked sharply. The old man fumbled for the newspaper that was on the table, still staring and pointing. Suddenly he leaned over the table and swiped at Inuyasha's face with it. Naturally, it went through. Inuyasha didn't budge an inch. Sometimes it was nice to be spectral. The old man swung again with the same effect. As he readied for another swing, muttering something about demon magic and purity, Inuyasha disappeared with a small puff of thick grey smoke and a frown, setting off the fire alarm in the process.

"DEMONS BEGONE!" The old man spluttered, hastily removing a spell scroll from somewhere on his person and waving it around futilely. "I ORDER YOU BACK TO HELL!" He roared imperiously, the paper flapping as he waved it around in the smoke. "TO HELL!" He repeated.

Sango stood in the doorway and tied on a mask over her face before venturing into the smoke and grabbing Mr. Higurashi. She pulled him out of the room –with much paper-waving and shouting on the senior's part- and then went back in to turn of the fire alarm and open the windows. "I wish he wouldn't do that." She grumbled about Inuyasha. "Making such a fuss, and then we have to open the windows, clear out the smoke, and turn off that infernal beeping." Said beeping started up again. With a sigh, she headed back into the room and turned it off again. "Really, he could be more considerate of others."

(•. •)

( • )—

He frowned and tuned out the old man's ranting. There was a demon in the house. Probably not Shippo, because he'd masked himself and Inuyasha couldn't tell as a poltergeist. But he could sense the demon aura now. He disappeared with a puff of smoke and reappeared directly in front of Miroku and Shippo. "Hello there, Inuyasha." Miroku gave his usual polite greeting.

Inuyasha stared at Shippo, perplexed. "I thought you wanted to keep hidden." He said. Miroku listened with interest. So Inuyasha **did** know before…

"Miroku caught me." Shippo replied grumpily, his bushy tail flicking in irritation. Inuyasha shook his head. With Miroku stalking the Brat as he was, it had been bound to happen sooner or later. In this case, sooner. He wrinkled his nose.

"Hey! Miroku!" Said man looked at him. "Go take a shower! You stink." Miroku bowed elegantly. "My thoughts exactly." He headed off on his way, Shippo still sitting on his shoulder. "You going with him Shippo?" The poltergeist asked in surprise.

"No, I bathe with Kagome!" The ginger-haired kitsune called back. Inuyasha looked at him indignantly. "I'm gonna hide in Miroku's room for a bit before we explain everything to everyone."

Kagome… where was she? He wondered. After a few moments pondering, he disappeared in another puff of smoke, setting off another fire alarm. Sango hurried into the hallway, equipped with a filter mask and a fan.

"And just after I finished in the other room!" She grumbled to herself. "I'm going to have to talk to him about this." She dragged a chair out of the nearest room. "Why can't he just walk places like other people?"

(• .•)

( )

Well. Kagome sat under the big tree by the house as she thought. This was new. She smiled wryly. Not only did she happen to live in the same premises as a poltergeist- a half demon poltergeist at that, not only did she live with strange people, not only did demons randomly fly into her house but she was also some sort of priestess. Hm. She looked at her hands. She didn't feel any different. And then there was that lady. The demon lady. Kagome couldn't get her out of her head, her strange magenta eyes, the miasmic demon blood or whatever Miroku had called it, but most of all, she was disturbed by the strong feelings of evil, strong and alien, malignant that she'd felt coming off of her in waves. She shuddered.

"If you're cold, you could always go back inside," A voice advised by her ear. Kagome whirled in surprise and found herself nose to nose with Inuyasha. Literally. Though they wouldn't be able to touch each other if they'd wanted to, the implication made them both scoot away, identical blushes staining their faces. "S-sorry." The flustered poltergeist stuttered.

"That's okay," Kagome flapped a hand at him nervously. "You just scared me." Indeed, her heart was pounding, but not because of that. Clearing her throat nervously, Kagome shifted in her seat and Inuyasha floated into a cross-legged position. They sat in silence for a moment, the only noise being that of wind through the trees and the rustling grass.

"So," Inuyasha began. "You're a priestess." Kagome looked at him with surprise but his face was unreadable, grey eyes flickering as the blush faded from his face.

"I guess so." Kagome shrugged. "I don't feel any different knowing." She admitted. "I mean, I'm still **me**, nothing's changed about me." Inuyasha seemed to relax slightly. "But," she added sheepishly. "I don't know how to do anything either with my powers, either."

"You said you felt a presence of evil in the room when the woman came in?" Inuyasha asked, staring at the grass with grey eyes. "Well, then you already use them." Kagome looked at him in surprise, taken aback. He looked at her a moment, then shifted his gaze to a tree in the opposite direction. "You sense demonic energies. That's part of your powers." He still wasn't looking at her. Kagome frowned.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She coaxed. Still facing away and staring at the grave marker now, he paused before replying, and when he did reply it wasn't much of an answer.

"Nothing." He said nonchalantly. Kagome gave a characteristically Inuyasha-ish snort and walked around the tree until she was facing him. He turned his head away again, his eyes resting on the grass. The raven-haired girl gave an exasperated sigh.

"Look at me." She said sternly. Stubbornly, the poltergeist continued to watch the grass as it waved gently in the wind. She sighed again, this time in defeat. "Will you at least tell me what's wrong?" She tried.

Inuyasha thought for a moment before answering begrudgingly. "I… don't like priestesses. Nothing personal." Or rather, one priestess in particular whom she happened to resemble. Why did he even come and find Kagome?

The newly-appointed priestess backed away in shock. "What?" Inuyasha turned his head away. "But… why?" It was like a slap in the face. "Does everything change just because I can sense demons?" She asked incredulously, a few rebel tears stinging her eyes. Over some little thing… something that she could do all along? And when he found out, it was all over? Kagome sniffed fiercely, willing the tears to keep from coming because she knew that Inuyasha looked down at her when she cried. But what was over?

He smelled the salt, felt the guilt. Burning inside. He was confused. "No, of course not!" He snapped. What was he doing? What was he saying? What did it mean? Was it the tears, the reproach in her voice that made him feel like putty in her hands? "Don't be ridiculous." He added softly, almost as an afterthought.

Kagome sniffed and scrubbed a hand across her eyes. "I'm not being ridiculous." She informed him shortly. "I don't understand…" She murmured with a heavy sigh. Inuyasha glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"It's nothing to do with you." He told her, not bothering to explain. But that was a bad idea. The small sentence was like a little hook, and she fell for the bait. Kagome's natural curiosity took over,

"Then who **does** it have to do with?" Curiosity killed the cat… and miffed the dog. Inuyasha finally looked at her and in the depths of his eyes there was copper smoldering resentfully. But there was something else, a pain, a betrayal. A flash of light, bright and tragic. And then it went out, and Inuyasha was gone.

And a very confused and bewildered Kagome was left all by herself to interpret the meaning of it. And that's exactly what she did.

(O.o)

( )

Sango put the fan back in the closet and closed the door. The mask was her own, one of the few things that she'd brought from home in her haste. She placed the mask in her bureau almost reverently and shut it with a sigh. And then another fire alarm went of. Eyebrows clicking together in frustration, Sango grabbed the mask out of the drawer again, put it on and stormed out of the room, muttering darkly under her breath about self-centered poltergeists and wasted time.

She sprinted through the hallway, leaped down a flight of stairs, and skidded to a halt in the living room where she found the poltergeist about to make a hasty exit. "You!" She exclaimed, brandishing an accusatory finger as she would a weapon. "Why can't you walk around like normal people and stop setting off the fire alarms!" Her voice came out muffled through the mask.

Inuyasha looked at her somewhat coldly. "Because I'm not a normal person." He indicated his spectral flesh with an almost sigh of pent-up frustration and left with a loud bang and more smoke. Eyes watering, Sango muttered under her breath as she forced open the windows and sprinted upstairs for the fan that she'd used before.

The alarm whooped as she opened the door the door to the kitchen –she'd closed it after her to stop spreading the smoke- and started waving the fan about frantically, trying to send all the smoke out of the windows.

Five minutes and several muffled curses about poltergeists later, Sango had cleared out most of the smoke, leaving the room in a hazy fog, but pretty much smoke free. She stood on the table and smacked the smoke detector with one hand. Those things were starting to get really, really annoying.

(• .•)

( )

He was hiding something…

Kagome stared at the waving grass in contemplation. But what? There was something in his eyes… It was on the tip of her tongue, the verge of her understanding, just out of reach. As is someone had told her something and she just couldn't understand it. She thought back, examining each detail carefully. That look. There was something, something, something… Arg! Kagome grabbed a fistful of grass and pulled it out. She dropped it on the ground and grabbed another, dropping that in turn. What was with people's obsession with picking grass?

Her mind wandered to her old life, her old school and old friends. It all seemed so distant now, so foreign. So… trivial. Eri had called her yesterday, wondering about the date and talking about Hojo and how lucky she was to finally get him. But now she wasn't interested, though only three months ago she would've been very happy about it. It saddened her slightly. She was loosing touch with her dearest, oldest, friends. But what had changed? Kagome shook her head as a pair of familiar, haunting golden eyes smoldered, staring at her as if haunted by some terrible, nameless…something.

Why did she always think about him? His presence was always looming in the back of her mind, waiting for a chance to flood her thoughts with him. Kagome sighed. She was so hopeless. She couldn't shake the thought of him from her mind. But his eyes… copper floating to the surface to smother the emotionless grey. The copper held what the grey could not: a path to his innermost self, if Kagome could bring herself to look. But she hesitated because she feared there was something dark and terrible that lay waiting for her if she dared to stare him straight in the face. What was he hiding? Did he even remember?

For the first time after meeting him, Kagome found herself wondering why he'd been cursed.

(••)

( )

"Well…" Miroku looked at Shippo. The kit was sitting on his bed and fiddling with a leaf, tail twitching slightly in agitation. "Let's go, then." He said cheerfully. Shippo looked at him with a wavering smile, a small pearly fang peeking out from between his lips. Miroku extended one hand and Shippo climbed up his arm to rest on his shoulder. No words were said. None were needed.

With one brief glance exchanged between the two, Miroku walked out of his room and into the hallway. He coughed at the smoke and Sango stormed by, removing an antique mask of some sort and growling under her breath. Shippo dropped from Miroku's shoulder and clung to the back of his shirt, out of view from the upset woman.

Sango didn't notice, but she did incline her head curtly to Miroku as she passed. As soon as she was gone, Shippo popped back onto Miroku's shoulder. "Shippo?" The violet-eyed man asked in bemusement.

With wide solemn eyes, Shippo responded, "I wasn't ready yet. She surprised me." Miroku was still confused, but he went along with it. "Let's go to the living room," Shippo suggested, glancing over his shoulder in an almost spastic way.

"Very well," Miroku glanced at the kitsune again. "You have to tell them sometime, Shippo." He said, thought the ginger-haired demon had only been revealed for what he was thirty minutes ago.

Shippo gulped. No fear! "O-okay." He stuttered. No fear, no fear… a left turn, down a flight of stairs and through the doorway and they were there. Both of them paused, Shippo unsure of what to do next and Miroku waiting for the young demon's decision. Shippo gulped again. "Hey!" he squeaked. "HEY!" He thundered, and clapped hands over his mouth. Miroku winced at the volume. Shippo was right next to his ear. "HEY!" Shippo called again, at a more reasonable volume.

"What?" Sango called back grumpily. "This better be important," She grumbled from upstairs, arriving in the room a few moments later.

"Could you please go get Kagome?" Miroku asked politely. Clean thoughts, clean thoughts… Sango nodded curtly and walked through the living room to the door, not noticing Shippo's altered appearance. She put on a stray pair of sandals that probably belonged to Mr. Higurashi and walked over to Kagome under the tree; presenting Miroku with a nice view of her- clean thoughts, clean thoughts… "I hate Uno…" He grumbled. Shippo looked at him curiously and wisely decided not to ask.

A moment later, the two of them came back, Sango still appearing irritable and Kagome in a daze. "Maybe this isn't the best time…" Shippo chattered between clenched teeth to Miroku. "They don't seem too happy right now." Miroku shook his head.

"Yeah?" Kagome asked curiously, eyes still holding some wandering thoughtful quality from her previous solitude. "Is something…?" She trailed off, staring at Shippo, her expression unreadable. The poor kid, unsure of what to expect, gulped nervously again. A moment's silence stretched into eternity. Somewhere outside, a lawnmower droned. Birds chirped infrequently and the grass rustled as the wind blew gently in the hot afternoon. "Shippo?" Kagome finally asked. Sango was still thinking.

"Kagome?" The kitsune squirmed and his tail twitched nervously. Kagome was silent for a moment before trying to say anything. Finally, she managed to speak.

"You're a demon?" Shippo nodded. Kagome took a deep breath. "What kind?" She asked curiously, some of the shock wearing off. Sango was still silent.

"Fox." The ginger-haired boy answered. So far, so good. Kagome was smiling, unsure, but it was a friendly smile, welcoming.

"Well, that doesn't really change much does it?" She asked with a smile. Shippo's eyes widened, taken aback. "You've been a kitsune all this time, right? So then you're still you. You're just different looking." She explained more to herself that him. "I like your tail." She grinned. "It's very cute." The tension in the room eased somewhat. And Sango still wasn't saying anything. In fact, she looked pretty much calm and composed.

Noticing this, Kagome looked at the older girl and asked, "Sango?" She looked up at Kagome with a questioning look. "What do you think?" She gestured at the kit on Miroku's shoulder nervously, unsure of what Sango would do or say.

"I suspected." Sango said simply with a shrug. Surprised, everyone waited for her to continue. "I heard Shippo and our resident poltergeist talking in the hallway about something, and I had an idea that Shippo was some type of demon."

"Why didn't you say something?" Miroku asked. "You could've helped me! I was following Shippo around for days. I didn't even get all the twigs out of my hair because I was so busy." Miroku shook his head regretfully and felt, frankly, rather stupid.

"You never asked." Sango replied practically. Miroku sighed. With a relieved grin, Shippo hopped off of Miroku's shoulder and ran off somewhere, probably to give a certain poltergeist grief. Kagome wandered back outside to sit under the tree.

With no business left for him to attend to in the living room, Miroku walked out of the room and up the stairs, not noticing the thoughtful look that Sango shot at his back. "Miroku… where have I heard that name before?" She'd remember soon enough.

(00)

( )

"Kagura, Kagura, Kagura." The nasty voice sneered into her mind and tainted her thoughts with cunning malice. "You are getting sloppy indeed." There was dark humor in the consciousness; Naraku's was of laughing. "First you miss one of the family, then you get beaten by that wolf cub." The laughter stopped.

"I was occupied at the moment." Kagura defended weakly. She knew she'd been sloppy. It had been her fault that time. Naraku knew it, too. He knew all of her immediate thoughts and if he cared to, he could probably dredge up the ones she so carefully guarded against him. "I did the job." She added.

"But you did not find the missing one." Naraku's cold voice dropped by a few degrees. "You've been slacking, Kagura. It seems to me that you require some…motivation." Kagura gasped as her chest suddenly constricted painfully. He squeezed her heart –which he'd removed from her body to keep control of her- again with sadistic humor. "Do not forget, Kagura, that you are bound to me and can serve no other. Do not forget that I see into your mind, and know even your deepest thoughts and desires." The pressure released and Kagura stood up shakily from where she'd fallen over. Kanna looked on with dark emotionless eyes.

The wind sorceress stumbled out through the tunnel and onto the hill with gasping breaths. "Curse him…" She murmured helplessly. She sat down heavily on the grass and stared out upon the spectacular landscape that stretched before her with unseeing eyes.

"Oh, Kagura." The demoness jumped. "I'm giving you six days. Find the Miyagi girl and kill her. Do not be seen. Do not be caught. I will not forgive any more mistakes." Kagura stumbled upright and down the hill, tossing her feather onto the wind and crawling on. The wind carried her away from Naraku and the cave, leaving her to fly free. As free as she might ever get.

(• .•)

( )

Unlike her sister, Kanna was not reckless and proud. Kanna was quiet, subdued, thoughtful, yet she obeyed mindlessly. She didn't mind carrying out Naraku's orders. What was freedom, after all? Why was it so alluring? Kanna wanted nothing but to sit in peace and quiet and to gaze into her mirror.

And that's what she did, her mind directly linked to Naraku's so that he could see all inside the bewitched reflective surface, next to the dark urn. The chamber did not reject her or try to purify her as it would other demons. To the sutras scattered around the room, Kanna wasn't even there. She was the essence of nothing.

She knew that was why Naraku trusted her so, why he was so pleased with her. She wanted nothing, was nothing. The perfect underling. But she was content, and didn't mind. "Show me…" Naraku's consciousness flooded her thoughts with his desires and malice. "Show me everything." Kanna focused her mind and applied her will to the mirror.

(••)

( • )

Shippo had made up a new game. He called it, "Let's See How Many Different Places We Can Make Inuyasha Get Colorful", or "LSHMDPWCMIGC" for short. He was still working on the title. So far, he'd gotten him to blush- by talking about Kagome, to make his eyes gold –by making him really mad, but so far he couldn't do anything to his ears, his nose, or feet, which were his targets.

Maybe he was going about it the wrong way. "Brat," The harassed poltergeist's eyes were simmering with gold beneath the grey. "Go away and leave me alone. I'm trying to-"

A giant pink balloon popped into existence whizzed by in front of his face. Inuyasha backed away in surprise. Well, he'd gotten the ears to change color now… "BRAT!" Inuyasha growled. "Leave me alone!"

Shippo puffed back into himself and removed the leaf from his head. "You are dead on the next half moon…" The poltergeist warned. Oh, wait. The half moon after that, because he the curse was placed on him the half moon between the full moon and no moon. It was actually kinda confusing… and the damned fox-brat wasn't helping matters…

"Divide and conquer!" There were suddenly six Shippo's scrambling around him. With a loud curse, Inuyasha disappeared with a puff of smoke and a loud bang that sounded like a gunshot. He'd had enough of Shippo to last him a very, very long time.

Sango paused at the door of her room. There was a loud bang, followed by… the screeching of a smoke detector. "Inuyasha!" Sango half screamed with frustration. "This has got to stop!" She grabbed her mask and the fan –it was becoming routine now- and ran down the hallway to the source of the wailing smoke detector. "Next half moon…" She grumbled under her breath as she opened the windows in the dining room and fanned the smoke out. She crinkled her nose in distaste. And this time it stank of sulfur! Yuck. "When I catch up with him…" She promised darkly and went about her business.

(• .•)

( )

Miroku was in a fix. A small one, but a fix nonetheless. He'd proved to himself that he was right, that he'd always been right, but he desperately wanted to go back and laugh in the faces of all who had laughed and called him crazy or delusional. And he could, but what would happen? No, it wasn't possible, he brooded. After all he'd done and gone through. It was ironic that he had the proof, solid evidence, but had no way of presenting it. But that was how life operated, was it not? He smiled wryly.

A familiar masculine voice broke through his thoughts. "What are you hiding, monk?" It was Inuyasha, a suspicious frown on his face as he scrutinized the violet-eyed man. Miroku looked at him with surprise.

"Oh, hello Inuyasha." He smiled politely. "I didn't see you there." The poltergeist floated closer, sitting in a cross-legged position until he was a few feet away from Miroku. "I was just thinking." He responded to Inuyasha's continued scrutiny.

"I don't know what you're up to, monk." Inuyasha said flatly. "But whatever it is, it doesn't seem like anything good. You've got something up your sleeve." Suspicion was turning his eyes slightly gold.

"I mean no harm." Miroku put his hands up in a placating gesture. "I am merely reflecting upon my situation." He told the poltergeist honestly.

"What are you hiding?" Inuyasha questioned. Miroku sighed, seeing that he wasn't going to give up any time soon. "Why are you hiding it?" The half-demon reiterated, arms folded across his chest.

"It is my own, private affair that I wish to reflect upon. It does not affect you or anyone else here." That is, if he chose not to act. He wasn't going to anyway. Inuyasha, seeing that he wasn't going to get anything else out of the stubborn monk, disappeared with a small pop and a miniscule puff of smoke.

Sango stayed outside the door for a few minutes, wondering at the conversation that had just taken place. "Miroku, Miroku." She wracked her memory with no success. Where had she heard his name before? More likely than not, it had been off the lips of some poor girl he'd gotten to fall in love with him. But she had a feeling that it wasn't so. "Miroku…" She walked away, the name echoing in her mind.

He was hiding something, and she was sure that she had a piece to the puzzle. It was there, in her mind, just out of grasp. It would come.

(• .•)

( )

His day wasn't going very well. Mr. Higurashi seemed unable to find the desired scroll that he wanted to read. The legends were fascinating and he'd been eating them up since he'd found them tucked away in the big room on the first floor. But the next installment was missing. It frustrated him to no end.

The old man stood up, a hand on his aching back. There was no denying it, the thing wasn't there. With a defeated sigh, Mr. Higurashi walked out of the room and paused at the strange burn in the floor. And where had that giant hole in the floor come from? Someone was going to have to do a little explaining…

Mr. Higurashi left the ballroom and closed the door after him with a creaking sigh. The old man rubbed his eyes, weary from all the reading he'd done, and headed for the kitchen with a yawn. It felt good to stretch his legs. He'd been sitting in his room for six hours, an activity that was certainly not healthy.

"DEMON BEGONE!" Mr. Higurashi whipped a defective sutra off his person and waved it in front of him. Shippo stopped short in his tracks. The senior took a step forward and slapped the spell scroll onto the ginger-haired boy's head. "RETURN TO HELL, DEMON!" He shouted. Shippo frowned and pulled the offending piece of paper off of his head. Not deterred in the slightest, Mr. Higurashi pulled out another scroll and stuck it on him again. There was a pause, then Shippo removed it and dropped it onto the ground next to the other one.

Yet again, the senior pulled out another scroll and stuck it to Shippo. With a sigh, he removed it again. It drifted to the floor to lie next to its counterparts. Wordlessly, the obstinate old man pulled three out of his robe and stuck them all to Shippo.

The kitsune was getting annoyed. With a puff of pink smoke and some foxfire, he floated away, above the old man's head as a pink balloon. Mr. Higurashi stared. A true demon. And the last time he'd seen the boy he'd been a normal child. It had to be the demon-ghost, or poltergeist. He was a bad influence, that one. Mr. Higurashi decided that he'd have to try the spell mentioned in the scrolls he was reading, the one with the holy urn. It looked as if it had already been used on the demon-ghost, but the boy could use it too in order to stop the spread of evil. Those scrolls certainly were interesting. Speaking of which… he headed back the way he came in search of the missing scroll.

(• .•)

( • )

"Home!" Souta dashed out of the car with a cry of relief. "I don't think I could've stayed in that car another minute!" Mrs. Higurashi exited the car at a more sedate pace and opened the trunk of the car.

"Souta! Don't forget to help me unpack!" She called to the young boy as he raced up the walk, gravel crunching under his feet as he went.

"HELLO!" He pounded on the door enthusiastically. "SOMEONE GET THE DOOR!" He yelled. There were some hurried footsteps and the door opened. Souta stared at the unfamiliar face.

"Uh…" Souta was confused. "Who are you?" The girl smiled sheepishly and let him inside the entryway with a smile.

"My name's Sango. I'm, umm," How did you tell someone that you were living in their house? "I'm living here." Just tell 'em straight out. Souta seemed to accept her answer as he stepped inside the house, removed his shoes, and dashed up the stairs like a bat out of hell.

"Souta!" Called his mother from the car as she lifted a heavy-looking suitcase out of the trunk of the car. "I'm not doing this alone!" She called again. Mrs. Higurashi looked up at the front of the house and stared in surprise at Sango for a moment. "Oh! You must be Sango, right?" She smiled warmly. "Welcome! I'm Mrs. Higurashi, Kagome's mom." She said as if it wasn't obvious.

Sango smiled back, equally friendly. "That's right. I hope you don't mind that I'm staying here…" There was a question of dismissal in her tone and Mrs. Higurashi quickly reassured her.

"Oh, of course not! Stay as long as you want." Seeing the grateful expression in the young woman's brown eyes, the hostess quickly set down her terms. "But you'll have to help around the house, like Miroku." Kagome greeted her mother at the front door with an Inuyasha-reminiscent snort.

"Sango's done way more than Miroku." She informed her mother. "Only today she's taken care of at least six smoke detectors that went off." Sango smiled quietly at the praise. She hadn't thought anyone noticed all the running around she was doing. At her mother's slight frown, Kagome hastily assured her that Miroku did help around the house. "He cooks very …creatively and he does the dishes." Very creatively, indeed. Who else would put lettuce into rice? The frightening thing was that it wasn't half bad.

"Here, dear. Help me with the unpacking." Mrs. Higurashi unloaded a heavy suitcase into her daughter's unready arms, nearly knocking her over. With a sigh, the black-haired girl lugged the weighty luggage up the stairwell and down the hallway.

"Can I help in some way?" Sango asked, watching Kagome's progress out of the corner of her eye. Souta came running down the stairs and hurried to the car for his luggage. Such enthusiasm! Sango noted with wry humor, wondering what Kagome had snarled at her younger sibling upon passing.

"Of course." The older woman certainly had a sunny personality. Sango followed her as she went back to the car. The gravel crunched underfoot as Mrs. Higurashi engaged Sango in some idle conversation. "So, where are you from?" It was intended to be a polite question out of friendly interest.

Sango tried to answer back lightly. "Well, my family died and I had no place to go." The truth was always best. Mrs. Higurashi stopped abruptly in shock and put her hands over her mouth in true horror. No false sympathy here.

"Oh, dear!" She patted Sango on the arm. "I'm so sorry!" And she really was, Sango noted. Mrs. Higurashi was one of those rare people who could truly empathize with others, someone who really cared passionately. Kagome was another of those rare people. "That's so awful." She shook her head remorsefully. "You can stay as long as you want." She told Sango firmly.

"Thanks," Sango looked at her gratefully and pulled another suitcase out of the car. The suitcase was quite heavy. Judging from the weight of it, Mrs. Higurashi also appeared to be one of those people who pack for any scenario.

"Of course, dear." Mrs. Higurashi was busy with another large suitcase. Sango hauled the suitcase up the walk and then the stairs, down the hallway to Mrs. Higurashi's bedroom. She placed the baggage down on the floor with a thump that rattled the windows and went down the stairs to grab more. She passed Miroku on the stairs hauling a formidably sized bag, which bulged at the seams.

"Could you-" Miroku dragged the bag up another step and huffed for breath, "Help me with this please?" He asked, straining with the bag. Sango smiled and grabbed the handles, pulling on it while Miroku pushed. Teamwork prevailed and soon the bag was in the hallway.

"How on earth did you get this up the walk by yourself?" Sango asked, huffing for breath. That thing was heavy and she found herself wondering what was in it.

"I don't know myself. This bag feels as if it's filled with bricks." Miroku admitted, equally winded. He frowned at looked at the bag at his feet. "How'd they get it in the car, of that matter?" He wondered. Sango shrugged and picked up the front of the bag, while Miroku picked up the back. They struggled with the heavy luggage until it was outside Mrs. Higurashi's room.

The hostess came up the stairs and down the hallway. Upon seeing what the two of them were dragging about, she told them sympathetically, "I'm really sorry, but that goes in the garden." Sango and Miroku looked at each other in despair. For once, Sango noticed, he wasn't looking at her in a perverted way. She smiled. Clean thoughts, indeed.

Miroku gritted his teeth. Clean thought, clean thoughts… Sango was bending over to pick up the bag with a weary sigh. Clean thoughts, cleat thoughts… He had had no idea that it was so hard to keep his eyes and thoughts awayfrom their normal thoughts. "I hate Uno." He grumbled to himself. Sango smiled maliciously and tugged on the straps of the bag.

"Really? I'd have to say-" She gasped for breath. CLEAN THOUGHTS. "-that Uno's one of my favorite games." They dragged the bag back down the staircase, Miroku debating whether or not to just push it down.

Mrs. Higurashi came up the stairs with a smaller suitcase and a sympathetic smile on her face at their endeavors. "You can just leave that here. I'll take care of it later, okay? That's the heaviest bag." She admitted.

"Mrs. Higurashi-" Miroku set the bag down heavily. Sango leaned against the wall and wiped sweat off of her brow. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is **in** this bag?" He inquired.

The older woman smiled and said solemnly, "Bricks." Eyebrows were raised in surprise. "For the garden." She explained practically. "I wanted to make a path and lay down some borders."

They were hauling **bricks** around? Sango moved away from the wall and leaned over the bag. She stood up abruptly and asked. "Do you mind if we put them in smaller bags and take them down like that?" It would make things a lot easier.

"Oh, of course!" Mrs. Higurashi exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of that sooner?" she reprimanded herself, hurrying down the stairs to get some plastic bags. Sango and Miroku opened the big bag and started to pull the bricks out and put them on the beige carpet.

(• .•)

( )

"Shippo!" Souta called. "Shippo! We're back!" He yelled again, looking around the living room. "Shippo?" He asked uncertainly.

"Hi." Shippo's voice answered back uneasily. Souta whirled around in confusion. The ginger-haired boy was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Shippo! Where are you?" He looked around the room in confusion. "Come out!" There was some rustling from behind the couch and Souta took a step forward.

"Wait!" Shippo's voice sounded slightly panicky. "I'm coming out, but don't say I didn't warn you!" Souta frowned in confusion.

"Warn me about what?" He asked and peered over the couch. "Whoa, cool!" He said immediately. "What's that big puffy anima-" He gulped. The puffy thing moved and Souta saw that it was attached to Shippo's butt, of all things. And then Shippo stood up on the paws of a fox, what was now clearly a tail brushing the floor. "Whoa…" Souta breathed.

"Uh…" Shippo stuttered, unsure of what to say. So he just said it. "I'm a kitsune." Souta looked at him blankly. "You know, a fox demon?"

Souta rolled his eyes. "Since when?" He demanded. "Ooh, did Grandpa put a spell on you?" He asked eagerly. Kagome walked into the room upon hearing the confrontation that was taking place.

"Hey, Shippo." She grinned supportively at the kitsune upon realizing what he was doing. The young ginger-haired demon grinned back, albeit slightly nervously.

"Hey, sis!" Souta demanded. "Did Gramps put a spell on him?" Kagome shook her head. "But he was human when we left…" He looked at Shippo in bemusement. "What's going on?"

Shippo rose to his full, impressive height of two feet and three inches. "I'm a kitsune!" He repeated, emphasizing his words with a twitch of his tail.

"No, you're not!" Souta leaned over the couch and retorted back at him. "They don't exist!" Kagome rolled her eyes. Those two **would** turn it into an argument.

"I do **too** exist!" Shippo shouted back, glaring up at the older boy. "That's like saying Inuyasha doesn't exist! He's half demon! I'm just a full one!"

"He's a half-demon poltergeist!" Souta retorted loudly. "It's different!" The couch started tipping over from Souta's weight on the backrest.

"He was cursed! Before he was a half-demon and alive!" Shippo shouted back. "And he was alive again a few days ago! And he hit me on the head a lot!"

Souta looked at him in surprise. "He did? Cool!" There was a moment's pause. "How?" Shippo shrugged. Getting back to their argument, Souta said, "Well, it's still different! I don't believe you!"

"Fine!" Shippo folded his arms over his chest huffily. "I'll prove it!" There was a small burst of flame and a puff of pink smoke, and Shippo was once again a large pink balloon. Souta blinked.

"Cool!" He scrambled off of the couch and onto the floor. "How'd you **do** that?" Shippo puffed back into existence with a smug smile. "What else can you do?" Souta asked eagerly. "Can you turn into anything else?"

Shippo nodded, then frowned. "But sometimes my tail stays the same." He shrugged. Souta looked at him in awe. "I don't know why, though…" The kitsune said contemplatively.

He was pulled out of thought when Souta -who wasn't weirded out in the least by the fact that his friend was actually a demon- grabbed his arm and rushed out of the room, shouting as he went. "This is so cool!" Kagome shook her head. That was just like Souta. He adapted easily, accepting the strangest of things without a pause for thought.

He turned back to Souta. "But you can't tell **anybody**, okay?" Kagome heard Shippo protest as they hurried down the hallway.

(• .•)

( )

By now, Sango was regretting offering to help with the luggage. She grabbed yet another bag of bricks and hauled it downstairs, through the living room and out the back door to the garden. She walked through the tall grass and to the pile of bricks that she, Kagome, Miroku and Mrs. Higurashi had built over the last ten minutes. The friendly woman sure had brought a lot of bricks.

Sango dumped the bricks onto the pile and wiped sweat off her brow. She now understood perfectly why people related the weight of a purse or bag to bricks. They were very heavy for their size, surprisingly so. With a sigh, Sango squinted under the bright sun that glared overhead and walked back to the house, tediously shedding her shoes at the door. She stepped up into the house and went upstairs for more bricks, passing Kagome on the way. The other girl rolled her eyes at her. "Sorry about this," She apologized sheepishly. "Mom's a bit …eccentric sometimes."

Sango shrugged and walked up the stairs. "It's okay. Good exercise, you know?" She joked and grabbed another bag of bricks. There was only a couple more. Kagome grinned back and fumbled with her flip-flops at the door before continuing on her way to the brick pile.

With a sigh, she heaved the bag down the stairs. The bricks banged against her leg awkwardly as she made her way across the living room for the umpteenth time, yet again sliding on a random pair of flip flops and dumping her bricks at the pile. She felt rather like an ant. Miroku passed her with a dramatic sigh and something about slavery. She shook her head. Miroku… his name was still bugging her. She couldn't remember his full name, and she had a feeling that it was important. It frustrated her to no end. She had half a mind to ask him directly, but that wasn't very subtle or polite. She had a feeling that he'd refuse, as he hadn't told anybody.

She upended the bag of bricks on the pile and they toppled haphazardly to the ground. Oh well. She started to head back to the house to see if there were any more bags when she stopped suddenly, shading her eyes against the sun as she stared up at the sky in wonder. "Kirara?" She whispered, barely daring to believe it. The black shadow was suspiciously feline-shaped and the four points of flame matched the description. The figure wheeled and spiraled lower towards the ground. For the first time in quite a while, Sango felt sorrow's pang in her chest. "Kirara?" She called loudly. The figure gave a roar back. "Kirara!" Sango yelled happily, arms reaching.

The fire-cat spiraled lower and lower, then landed on the grass, the flames licking the large cat's ankles extinguished with a small hiss. Flames bloomed and Kirara was a small cat, roughly the size of a kitten. The tiny cream-colored kitten sprang up into Sango's arms as the young woman came running, a big grin on her face.

Kagome and Miroku peered around the door with interest. They both felt rather jaded to strange occurrences by now. "A demon cat." Miroku commented sedately. "I wonder if it's staying."

Kagome looked at him with a small smile. "I wonder if Mom'll let her stay." Sango looked back to the house, a true smile brightening her normally rather solemn face as she laughed.

"Hey, guys!" She waved at them excitedly. "Come meet Kirara! She is- was" Sango corrected, the smile dimming only minimally. "a member of my household." The affectionate cat purred, rubbing her face against Sango's shoulder affectionately.

Kagome and Miroku walked over to the happy reunion, Kagome grinning in delight and Miroku looking thoughtful. "Oh, she's so cute!" Kagome giggled and reached out a tentative hand. Like a normal cat, Kirara sniffed her head delicately before granting the raven-haired girl the privilege of petting her.

Miroku looked at Sango with a frown of confusion. "You knew that she was a demon?" He asked. Sango nodded, indicating the cat.

"What else could she be?" She grinned. "She's been around longer than anybody, too. No one has any idea of how old she is." The cat glanced at Miroku with intelligent red eyes and mewed quietly. "She says 'hello'." Sango translated with a grin.

"You can understand her?" Kagome asked, ever the gullible one. Sango smiled again and shook her head. Kirara mewed again, eyes now on Kagome.

"Wait." Miroku looked at Sango. "So you knew that demons existed since you were little?" He asked. Sango nodded. "Hm." He folded his arms across his chest and looked thoughtfully at Kirara, whom happened to be situated in such a way on Sango's shoulder that it looked as if he was staring at her chest.

"Hey!" Sango whacked him lightly on the head, in too good of a mood to be really upset with him. "Clean thoughts!" She reminded him.

"I hate Uno." Miroku stated with a melancholy sigh. "Or," He amended. "I hate betting on Uno when I'm playing with you." Sango looked at him oddly. The three of them moved back to the house at a sedate pace. Kirara mewed in Sango's ear again.

Suddenly, Sango stiffened and stopped. Kagome and Miroku turned around to look at her in confusion. "Miroku…" She asked uncertainly.

"Yes?" He asked with a frown. Kagome looked between the two of them with thoughtful eyes, wondering what was going on.

"Is your full name 'Taegada Miroku'?" Sango watched his reaction intently. Kirara mewed next to her ear. Silence permeated the air. The grass waved gently in a soft breeze and none of them moved. Miroku didn't respond, but she didn't need him to say anything.

His startled eyes were all she needed for an answer.

AN: I bet you are all thoroughly sick of my cliff hangers by now… Anyway, Happy Easter! Tell me whatcha think! I like to know!


	10. He Who Is Wise

AN: As always, thanks so much for the reviews! They really make me happy and motivated! THANK YOU, THANK YOU! (And sowwy 'bout the cliffhangers. I can't really think of good endings… but I'll try!)

I have an idea and depending on what you readers think, I will or will not act upon it. Now, here it is:

After this chapter, I will look over previous chapters and edit in accordance with the tips that you've given me and anything that I can think to add to them. However, this will slow the rate at which the next chapter is written. I estimate that it'll take about a week –or more, no guarantees- to redo the old chapters and write the next one. (To be honest, I have no idea of how long it'll actually take, so that's a very rough estimate).

So, what do you think? Good idea, or not? I feel that I could **definitely** improve the earlier chapters and make them longer/more elaborate and interesting. I'll tell ya if the changes are significant as to actually change the story a bit. I know that I really want to make the first chapter and the rest of the early ones longer. They're kinda short and dinky.

…And wow, I wrote this in less than two days so it's probably gonna be kinda bad…

Disclaimer: It is my unfortunate responsibility to tell you all that I don't own Inuyasha and that he and the rest of 'em belong to their rightful owners, not me. I'm not a rightful owner.

Haunted

Chapter Ten: He Who Is Wise…

"Taegada?" Miroku asked slowly, carefully. "I'm sorry… I think you've gotten me mixed up with… with someone else." He said finally.

Sango took a step towards him. "No, I think I've got the right Miroku." She watched him carefully. "In fact, I'm almost sure of it."

"What do you mean?" Miroku regained his composure and buried his unease underneath his smooth reply. "I'm afraid I've never heard the name." He shrugged, face unreadable.

Kagome watched the two of them in confusion. She had no idea what was going on. She'd never heard the name "Taegada Miroku", but it didn't seem to be a good name from the way that they were acting.

"Are you sure?" Sango asked carefully, her tone guarded. "Because you know, Miroku isn't a very common name." The accused man looked at her calmly. Kagome noticed that his hands were clenched into fists.

"Nevertheless, it isn't unheard of." He replied calmly. His eyes flickered from resting on one thing, then another uneasily. "I'm afraid you have the wrong person." He told her politely. His eyes rested on her face for barely a moment before shifting to the house. "Now, if you'll please excuse me, I must go take a shower."

"It's odd, though." Sango said conversationally and followed him up to the house. Miroku increased his pace. "You'd be the right age, in the general location of the University of Maebashi-" Miroku flinched. "-and you match description."

Kagome followed silently. She'd never seen Miroku so… agitated before. She spoke up at the door and made the man flinch slightly. "Well, what **is** your full name then?" Miroku looked at her squarely.

"It is of no importance." He told her coolly, yet politely. "I prefer to go by Miroku." He kicked off his shoes and entered the house, passing through the living room in great strides and taking the stairs in bigger ones, the two girls trailing him like the paparazzi after a celebrity.

"Miroku," Sango said softly, insistently. "I believed you." He turned and looked at her with eyes that were clear of his earlier cool collected expression and instead full of surprise… and gratitude? Kagome, forgotten, watched with curiosity. She had no idea what was going on…

The barriers went up almost instantly. "I don't know what you mean." He feigned puzzlement stubbornly. "Now I really must depart, unless you desire to take a shower with me." The jest was flat, however. There was no trademark grin, no suggestively raised eyebrows. He turned and walked quickly down the hallway to his room. Sango watched his exit with a worried frown.

"Hey, Sango?" She turned to the forgotten girl with a start. Kagome looked at her in confusion. "Who is Taegada Miroku?" Sango took a deep breath, and…

(0.0)

( )

Indeed, he was going to take a shower. He needed one, and he was badly shaken. But that would come later. He didn't want to venture out of the sanctuary that was his room quite yet.

"How did she know?" He mumbled to himself and sat heavily on his bed. Miroku wanted to forget that part of his past, the humiliation, the laughter, the disbelief. He wanted to rid himself of that past, to start afresh. And that was what he'd been doing.

And Sango had known, somehow. She must've gone to the University of Maebashi, too, or at least heard about the whole incident. She was probably a local, someone who lived in Maebashi. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He'd been a fool to be so stubborn then.

The worst of it was that he now knew that he was absolutely correct in his theory. He had the evidence that he hadn't had before, but he couldn't show it. He suddenly realized how his conjecture- if proven correct, which it now was- was highly likely to throw the world into chaos. That wasn't something Miroku wanted to do. It was funny, but knowing that he was right was a revelation for him, too.

He marveled at it. There were demons still alive today, just as there were years ago. They were hidden among the human population, quietly living out their extensive life spans. It was quite incredible. And it sounded ridiculous, which is why everyone had laughed in disbelief and called him delusional.

Miroku suddenly found himself wishing that he'd even made his theory known. It had cost him his reputation, his education, his friends, his entire life. And he regretted it. If he could go back, do it all over… But there was no way to change it.

"He who is wise never tries to revise what's past and gone", because the past is set in stone.

(• .•)

( )

….and let it out heavily. "It's not my place to tell you his story." Sango said heavily. Poor Miroku…

Kagome looked at her in bemusement. "I don't get it." She admitted. "So he **is** this Taegada Miroku person?" Sango nodded rather remorsefully. "Well, is he a dangerous criminal on the run from the law?" Kagome asked nervously. Maybe she'd been right after all…

Sango looked up at the younger girl in surprise. "No, of course not." She assured hastily. Kagome let out a sigh of relief and tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear.

"Well, for a moment there…" Kagome laughed in nervous embarrassment. Sango smiled quietly at her and Kirara mewed quietly. "Do you think he'll tell, though?" She asked anxious and curious. The previous conversation had piqued her curiosity greatly. And after all, she had a right to know who was living in her house.

"I would hope so," Sango admitted. "I don't think he'll be able to keep it all bottled up." Sango was talking in riddles, and Kagome might've screamed in frustration. Keep **what** all bottled up?

Time for a change of subject. "Hey, have you seen Inuyasha around lately?" Kagome asked Sango. Of all the changes in subject… why couldn't she stop thinking about him?

Sango frowned. "Well, now that you mention it, I can't say that I have." She paused. "I wonder what he's up to…" Kagome thanked Sango and walked back down the hallway. Sango smiled slightly. Ah, young love…

Not that she was quite old enough to talk.

(0.0)

( • )

He was very predictable. Kagome smiled in spite of herself as she passed by her mother –who was gardening- with a brief greeting and made her way across the lawn to the tree where Inuyasha was floating. His eyes flickered to her for a moment before he continued to watch the ground. Kagome sighed and sat on the ground. Neither of them spoke and the silence stretched between them, the awkward tension in the air almost tangible. Kagome cleared her throat. "Hi."

Inuyasha murmured something that sounded vaguely like a greeting in reply and continued to stare at the dirt. Kagome looked at him in confusion. "Hey, what's wrong?" She asked. He was acting strangely again. "Is it the priestess thing?" She cringed, expecting a stinging retort.

She was surprised when he answered back simply. "Just thinking." He shrugged uncomfortably. Kagome nodded, unsure of what to say. "So, your mom's back." Inuyasha seemed to dislike the silence as much as she did.

"Yeah…" She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. There was another long pause. Kagome yawned quietly. "Did you meet Kirara?" She asked him, suddenly finding something worth mentioning.

Inuyasha nodded. Well, there went that idea. "She tried to kill me, actually." He shrugged. "Too bad I'm already half-dead." He laughed mirthlessly, a bitter sound that rang against the silence.

Kagome winced. He didn't seem to be in such a good mood. She stood up with an uneasy smile. "I'm gonna go eat now." Inuyasha nodded curtly at her and watched her leave.

He smiled bitterly. Looks like he just scared Kagome off. He disappeared with a loud bang and a puff of foul black smoke, the kind that a fire makes when plastic is being burned. For a moment, he existed in the darkness, the place between death and life, almost.

He wasn't actually sure what it was, only that it was some sort of equilibrium between existence and nothing. He wasn't sure what he intended to do there before puffing back into existence, but he stood- no, stayed because there was nothing to stand on- in the murkiness for a few moments, bitterly savoring the agony that burned in him, the humiliation.

He'd finally remembered everything, to the last detail. He swept his hand –if it still existed, he wasn't sure- out into the murky grey depths of the half-world, the fantasy made real, out in front of him but felt nothing. That's what it was, he decided. Oblivion. He was existing in oblivion. All in all, he wished that he'd never remembered at all.

In his case, ignorance was indeed bliss.

(• .•)

( )

Kagura sighed in frustration. How was she supposed to find the sole surviving member of the Miyagi household? She didn't even know what she looked like, let alone where she was.

Six days. Kagura's sigh this time was one of exasperation. Yet again, Naraku was asking for the impossible, and yet again, she was the once forced to deliver it. She narrowed her scarlet eyes and peered down at the ground below. How was she supposed to find her, anyway? It's not like anyone was pointing the way for her.

Naraku hadn't even given her one hint as to where to look. Miyagi could be anywhere and anyone, from a six year old to a woman in her middle ages, fat, skinny, pretty or ugly for all she knew. She could even be in Europe! Of course, logic indicated that the girl wasn't anywhere near Europe and was probably about twenty.

It didn't narrow her search down very much. She passed over familiar territory on a whim and waved cheekily at Kouga who yelled all manner of profanity back. This wasn't getting her anywhere.

Really, it was Naraku's way of laughing at her. He could easily tell her where the Miyagi girl was and have her killed in less than a day, depending on her location. But he sent her off without a clue, knowing that she was far too proud and independent to ask for help. How in any hell was she supposed to locate one girl out of millions across the countryside? It wasn't impossible, just improbable.

Fortunately for her, Kagura was a master at doing the improbable.

(0.0)

( )

As soon as she heard the humming she knew that something bad awaited her at the top of the stairwell. Kagome paused and listened carefully. It was the hum of a fan, one of the large white ones. Not the little ones that oscillate on a stand. One of the big ones, which Mrs. Higurashi had bought in anticipation of the heat.

The whooping laugh was what warned her to duck instinctively as the big Shippo-bubble whizzed by over her head, Souta sitting on his head. The two of them hit the wall with a thud that rattled the house. Kagome stared in surprise. "**What** are you guys **doing**?" She asked incredulously. It actually looked like fun…

Souta was laughing like a maniac and the Shippo-balloon disappeared with a puff of smoke and was replaced by the kit's normal form. He fell to the floor, laughing as hard as Souta. Kagome stared at them and felt decidedly weirded out. "Uh… you guys?" Shippo shook his head at her and howled with laughter.

She scaled the rest of the stairwell cautiously and stood on the landing. The two of them had set up the giant fan in the middle of the hallway on full blast. The artificial wind toyed with Kagome's black hair as she stared. The two boys had tied a rope to two doorknobs that faced across each other so that it was perpendicular to the hallway. One was a closet and the other was Souta's room. The rope was tied loosely and flapped in the powerful wind created by the large fan.

Kagome shrugged and wondered how the system had gotten Shippo and Souta to fly so high up in the air. The two boys, eyes crinkled in mirth, crawled up the stairs and made their way to the rope, still chuckling as Shippo transformed back into his bubble-self-holding on the rope to keep from being blown away- and Souta somehow climbed onto Shippo. The kitsune kicked off from the ground, still holding onto the rope so that he was floating in the breeze. "Go!" They shouted simultaneously and whooped. They took off, spinning wildly out of control and crashing into the wall with great screams of laughter.

The older, raven-haired girl sighed wistfully. She was probably too heavy to try. It looked really fun, though… and painful. Of course Souta, being the wuss that he was, could take the pain, so it couldn't be that bad… She made her way to the fan, squinting her eyes at the volume of the wind created by the large contraption. "Ooh." Kagome grinned wickedly. It went up another notch… Gleefully, she flicked it on and was nearly blown backwards as the machine whined in effort.

Kagome grinned and moved out of the wind's path. Her mom certainly went all out with these kinds of things. If it was a good deal, she bought it, despite whatever use the thing had. The fan was probably the last of it's kind and was only half its regular price. Why on earth would they ever need an extra-powerful, industrial-sized fan? She wasn't even sure she wanted to know where her mom found it. A few moments later, Souta and Shippo crawled back up the stairs and struggled against the wind. "Kagome!" Souta howled. "Turn it down a bit!" The black-haired girl grinned and watched for a moment as the two of them struggled against the blast before turning it down a notch.

The two boys hurried up the hallway and repeated the process with a little alteration. "Kagome!" The girl looked at Shippo. He grinned. "Turn it up!" Idly, she flicked the switch and fox-boy let go, the two of them whooping and howling delightedly as they spun down the hallway, bouncing off the sturdy walls and careening down the stairs to crash-land at the bottom, both laughing hysterically. Kagome turned off the fan and let the machine rest.

Two tousled heads popped up over the rim of the staircase. "Wanna try?" Souta offered with a lopsided grin. "I'm feeling a bit dizzy myself." He wandered down the hallway in a decidedly uneven manner.

Kagome looked at Shippo eagerly, enthusiasm shining in her brown eyes. "Can you carry my weight?" She asked enthusiastically. Shippo, still winded, nodded with a smug look and became the pink bubble again.

"We'll just turn the fan on full blast." Souta explained and took position behind the fan. Uncertainly, the raven-haired girl gingerly climbed on top of Shippo. With an enthusiastic grin- Souta was looking forward to seeing Kagome go screaming down the hallway- he turned the fan on and Shippo bounced up until he was floating. Kagome clung to his head tightly. Souta's grin widened as he turned the fan on as high as it went and the rope went completely taut. "GO!" Souta and Shippo shouted in unison over the wind.

"EEEEEEEEEEEE!" She screamed happily. It was deliciously, terrifyingly fun, completely different from anything that she could think of. Kagome laughed joyfully as she and Shippo went bouncing down the corridor and hit the wall with a thud that shook the house. They fell to the floor, both laughing hysterically.

There was a poof and a semi-loud bang and Inuyasha was there. "Kagome!" He sped down the hallway, leaving a stupefied Souta in his wake. He was down the stairs in an instant. "Are you okay?" He asked, eyes flashing gold in concern at the girl whom he presumed was gasping out of pain and not laughter. "Kagome!" He asked urgently.

The young woman –still laughing, merely shook her head. Inuyasha was getting concerned. The color seeped from his eyes and to his face, his neck, his chest when she still didn't respond. "Kagome! Say something!" He reached out a hand and withdrew it hastily, bitterly.

Taking deep calming breaths, Kagome finally responded. "Hi." She said breathlessly, face flushed from laughter. The poltergeist blinked at her.

"That's **all**?" His voice was dangerously calm. "You were screaming on the top of your lungs as if someone was killing you and all you say is 'hi' when people come rushing to your aid?" He asked incredulously.

Kagome blinked tears of mirth from her eyes. "Sorry for worrying you." She was in a good mood today… She took another deep breath and scrambled up the stairs, Shippo still chuckling on her shoulder. "Come on! You gotta see this!" She rushed down the hall. Shippo transformed and Kagome climbed on top of him. Souta turned the fan on. Inuyasha's eyebrows almost clicked together audible.

"GO!" All three of them shouted cheerily. Kagome and Shippo went tumbling down the stairs again to land in a heap at the bottom, laughing hysterically.

Inuyasha followed at a more dignified pace. He floated over Kagome and said in that same calm tone. "You know, that's dangerous." His tone was almost conversational.

"Oh, come on, Inuyasha!" Kagome laughed, tousled raven hair curling around her head. "It's fun! It's not like anyone's going to die or anything." She sat up and reclined against the wall with a big grin.

"How do you know for sure?" he asked sharply. Kagome's humor started to dissipate. "Someone could die, actually. Break their neck on the stairwell, crack their head open at the bottom."

Kagome frowned at him. What had happened to **him**? "You certainly seem morbid today." She commented. The poltergeist's eyes flashed gold.

"And you certainly seem reckless!" He snapped back. "Don't you see how stupid this is?" he indicated the stairway. "Someone's gonna end up getting hurt." His eyes narrowed. When he'd heard her scream and seen her lying at the bottom of the stairs, eyes tightly closed and shuddering, he was…. Terrified, actually.

The raven-haired teen stared at him with incredulity. He was starting to sound like Yuka's mother, who made the poor girl go ice-skating in a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads with an adult present at all times. "What is **with** you?" She asked. "What's wrong?" Copper eyes in a peach face glared belligerently at her.

"I thought you were dead or something there." He snarled. "You sure looked like it." Kagome stared openly. "Don't you have any common sense!" He ranted. "I turn my back for just one moment and you're doing all these stupid things that even a four year old would know better than-"

"I'm sorry." She apologized hastily as Shippo snuck away to avoid getting involved in the argument. "I didn't mean to worry you." She didn't want to fight with him.

Inuyasha stuttered and his face flushed, anger replaced by embarrassment. "I wasn't worried!" he protested. "I mean, well…" he gave up with an exasperated sigh and tossed his hands up in the air. "Oh, forget it!" He disappeared in a small puff of smoke and a small pop.

Kagome looked at the spot where he'd been floating in puzzlement. "What's wrong with him toady?" She wondered aloud. Shippo popped his head around the corner of the staircase.

"Wanna go again?" He asked eagerly. Kagome paused for a moment before answering. Inuyasha had made some good points…

One more go wasn't going to kill her. "Sure! But first let's put something on the staircase so it's padded." Just in case. Shippo rolled his eyes at her.

"But that'll take too long!" He protested. Kagome was already pulling cushions off the couch in the living room. "Kagome!" The ginger-haired kitsune complained. "Come on!" She dumped the cushions on the stair haphazardly. "Okay, let's go!" Shippo hurried up the stairs, Kagome close behind him.

Again, Kagome climbed onto the Shippo bubble and Souta turned on the fan. Shippo bumped up until he was floating. "GO!" All three shouted merrily. But at that precise moment, Miroku walked out of his room in a very grim mood. "LOOK OUT!" All three shouted. Too slow.

Smack! The three collided and hit the ground. Dazedly, Kagome sat up and blinked. "Everybody okay?" She asked Shippo and Miroku. The bubble disappeared and Shippo was sitting on the floor again.

"Yeah…" He rubbed his head gingerly. Souta turned off the fan and jogged over to them. Miroku sat up with a surprised look at the three of them.

"What exactly are you doing?" He asked politely and avoided Kagome's curious gaze. Souta and Shippo grinned and made their way over to the fan. Shippo poofed into the bubble, Souta turned on the fan, and off they went.

Miroku and Kagome barely had time to duck as the two boys went bouncing overhead with screams of laughter. Miroku ran a hand through his hair and picked up the bath towel that he dropped. "That's... different."

Kagome looked at him skeptically. "Miroku?" He looked at her warily in anticipation of her question. "Is your last name really not Taegada?" She looked at him curiously. He sighed and didn't respond for a moment.

"No." He said finally. Honesty was the best way out. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must take my shower. Kagome watched him leave in confusion.

"Why does it matter?" She called after him over the whirring of the fan. He looked back at her in surprise, then continued down the hallway to the bathroom.

Good question. "Why, indeed?" He murmured to himself.

(0.0)

( • )

She was so…frustrating sometimes!

Inuyasha kicked idly at the dirt. Naturally, nothing was effected except his bad mood. Kagome didn't seem to have of a sense of self-preservation. Not only did she manage to get herself lost over twenty miles away from home, not only did she somehow manage to get caught in the same room with a malignant demon, but now she was practicing stupid stunts that anyone with common sense wouldn't try!

What was wrong with her? Kagome was one of those people who plunged into things without thinking, sometimes blindly trusting her instincts. Of course, he admitted, her instincts were better than most because she could sense people's auras.

Yes, Kagome was a priestess. But really, priestesses were different today than from five hundred years ago. They were almost obsolete. No one needed defense against demons as they used to. Priestesses were without a job that required their powers. So, what was he fussing about?

The memories. He made a futile swipe at a tree. It had been last night in his urn. The rest of his memory suddenly returned in a flash flood of thoughts, feelings, images. Why did he have to get caught up in her business? He should've just stayed away, let Kikyo handle the demon herself. After all, what good had it done him?

Kikyo had lied, used him as some sort of a sacrifice, like a lowly animal. It was disgusting and demeaning, and he'd fallen for it. And made him feel like a bumbling idiot. He grimaced and took another swipe at tree. Yes, he was in a bad mood. A very bad mood.

(•. •)

( )

Okay, so Inuyasha had been right. Someone did end up getting hurt.

Kagome bumped her against the wall slightly when she and Shippo went careening down the hallway, laughing and screaming. Mrs. Higurashi came into the house, alarmed at the screaming and wanting to know what was going on. "Hello? Are you guys alright? What's that noise?" The fan was whining as Souta turned it up as high as it could.

"Hi Mom!" He yelled over the noise. "Everybody's great!" Curiously, the concerned mother poked her head around the corner of staircase and instantly regretted it as Kagome and a large pink bubble sailed past and hit the ground, both the pink bubble and her daughter laughing uproariously.

"Oh, dear!" She said. "What on **earth** is going on here, Kagome?" She asked sharply. It didn't look to safe. Kagome kept laughing, and to Mrs. Higurashi's astonishment, the pink bubble-thing disappeared with a poof, and then Shippo was sitting next to Kagome. "W-what?" She stuttered in surprise. "How did you…?" Shippo grinned and waved.

Souta turned the fan off and came down the hallway. "He's a fox demon!" He said enthusiastically, conveniently forgetting that only three hours ago he'd been stuttering in surprise as well. "Isn't it cool?"

The poor confused woman looked at Shippo –who now sported a tail, little fangs and fox feet- and then to Kagome. "What happened when I was gone?" She asked, knowing that she'd probably regret ever leaving.

Kagome winced. This wasn't going to go over very well. "Well, it's a long story," She began. Mrs. Higurashi waited silently, patiently. "Um… why don't you ask Miroku? I'm sure he'd be happy to tell you." Her mother frowned and walked into the kitchen, signaling to Kagome to follow her. The raven-haired girl gulped.

Shippo and Souta waved cheerfully as she looked at them for assistance. No help coming from them. Reluctantly, she followed her mother into the kitchen. "Kagome." She said firmly. "Please tell me what happened while I was gone."

Kagome took a deep breath. "A lot happened," She admitted. "Sango came, but you know that. And then Inuyasha turned alive on the half moon and made a big hole in the ceiling –" Kagome winced and waited for her mother's reaction. "- and then I got lost when Grandpa sent me out to go buy him pickles, and then Shippo turned out to be a demon." She shrugged. "And that's about it. No one died or anything."

Mrs. Higurashi blinked. "Why don't we sit down?" It was a request more than a question. Kagome sat down across the table form her mother. "Could you repeat that?" She asked. "And from the beginning." The older woman added.

Kagome took another deep breath, and began.

(o.o)

( )

"Whaddaya think Mom's gonna do to Kagome?" Souta asked his companion curiously. Shippo shrugged.

"Sh." He said, a look of great concentration on his face. "I can hear what they're saying." Souta looked at the young demon enviously.

"Lucky." He grumbled. "I wish I was a fox demon." He complained. "You can do all these cool things." Shippo waved his hand at Souta, trying to silence him. "What're they saying?"

"Kagome's telling your mom about what happened while you guys were gone." Shippo sighed and bounced in his seat. "Come on, this is boring!" Souta nodded and they headed up the stairs again.

"Hey, Sango!" Shippo said happily. The young woman and her cat were dubiously examining their contraption. "Isn't it cool?" He asked enthusiastically. Souta, who still didn't really know Sango, followed at a more sedate pace. Kirara mewed.

"Whoa!" Shippo backed away, having never seen Kirara before. "A demon!" He pointed an accusatory finger at little cat. "Where did it come from?" Souta looked at the kitten-sized demon with interest.

"Kirara's a part of my family." Sango said. Kirara mewed again. "She just found me today." Kirara batted at the end of the rope curiously. Sango turned back to the two boys. "And what is this?"

Souta grinned enthusiastically, proud to show off their contraption. "Back away and we'll show you!" Shippo once again transformed and Souta turned on the fan. He climbed onto Shippo's head and yelled at Sango over the whirring of the large contraption. "Turn it on all the way!"

Hesitantly, Sango complied and the two boys went spinning down the hallway, screaming with laughter. Their fan game was one of those things that one never tired of. Sango grinned as they hit the wall and tumbled into a heap on the floor. "Little weirdoes," She told Kirara. The fire cat blinked large red eyes at her in return.

Two tousled heads poked over the rim of the staircase. "Wanna try?" Shippo grinned and waved. Sango looked at him incredulously and turned off the fan.

"Could you even hold my weight?" She asked. Shippo nodded smugly. "I still think that I'll pass on this one." Sango smiled. The two boys stumbled dizzily down the hallway as if drunk.

"It's really fun," Souta coaxed. "Better than any roller coaster!" With a poof, Shippo became the pink bubble again. His form flickered and then reverted. He heaved a weary sigh.

"I don't think I can do any more today." Shippo admitted. "I'm all tired now." Souta shrugged.

"We can always do some more tomorrow." He said, then grinned. "And the next day, and the next, and the next!" Shippo chortled.

"Yeah!" Sango rolled her eyes at the reckless pair. Someone was going to get hurt… They wandered down the hallway, leaving Sango alone with the mess that they'd made out of the cushions and rope.

Typical of young boys.

(•, •)

( )

The shower hadn't helped. Miroku was still feeling edgy and nervous. He exited the bathroom in a cloud of steam, and there she was. Sango. If he didn't know any better, he would've sworn that she was waiting for him… She waved politely as he hurried past her, calling at his back, "You have to tell them sometime."

Did he really? No one really needed to know. It was his business and had nothing to do with the others. What did it matter? Kagome was already curious, having no idea of his reputation as a loony. Neither did any of the others. No one but Sango knew; yet he felt cornered by his past. Well, he realized, it wasn't as bad as her past. Her entire family had been murdered, as had Shippo's. Their pasts were much worse than his, but their stories weren't quite as humiliating as his was. He closed the door to his room behind him and put his stuff away. Eh, he'd worry about it all later.

Though, what was he gaining by putting it off?

(• .•)

( • )

…And he still felt like crap. By now, Inuyasha himself was trailing acrid black smoke behind him to express his feelings as he sat moodily on the tree. No one had ventured near in hours, which was wise of them. Inuyasha didn't really mind the stench he was making. It suited his mood perfectly.

Oh, look. It was Shippo. Here was someone who he could scream insults at without having to apologize later. Unfortunately for the furious poltergeist, the fox demon stopped about ten yards away and turned sharply left, away from Inuyasha.

Gods, he was miserable. Weren't people supposed to get over things after a while? Wasn't five hundred years long enough? Resentment seethed inside him and the choking smoke around him took on sparks of electricity. It was stupid that he was still sitting here after several hours, feeling dismal. Why couldn't he just forget and put it behind him? Copper eyes glowered out upon the world around him.

"Oh, this is ridiculous." He snarled and rushed through the branches of the tree, over the grave marker, and to the shed and his urn, trailing the thick foul smoke behind him. He'd been using it less of late, preferring to stay outside or inside the house rather that the urn. He sighed, the anger washing away and leaving only a sad, lost feeling. Inuyasha closed his eyes and squished himself inside the container more firmly.

(•.•)

( )

"This is probably a bad idea." Kagome told herself as she slipped out of the house and towards the woods. "In fact, he'll probably bite my head off." She said carelessly to the trees around her. But, she was concerned about him. He seemed sick almost, and she had a distinct that the black smog that he'd been spewing out around the tree wasn't a good sign of anything.

She passed by the tree, keeping a hand over her nose, eyes stinging, and hurried into the forest. "Eww." The smoke stank. There was **definitely** something wrong with Inuyasha, that much she was sure of. If the smoke was any indication, the poltergeist was in a very, very bad mood. She made her way down to the little shed and took a deep breath before knocking. "Inuyasha? You there?" She asked cheerfully.

There was no answer. "Inuyasha?" She asked again. She knew that he was in here. She could feel his presence. "I know you're here." She told the seemingly empty shed. Then, the foul black smog poured out of Inuyasha's urn. Kagome gulped in spite of herself and wondered feverishly why she even bothered.

A very grumpy Inuyasha puffed out with the smoke and sat next to his urn. "What do you want?" He asked sharply. Kagome winced slightly. Very, very bad mood indeed. He folded his arms across his chest. "I'm waiting."

"I was wondering…" Kagome began slowly, hesitantly. She was afraid that if she said the wrong thing he'd blow up or do something explosive. "You seem really unhappy." She admitted. "I was wondering if there was anything that I could do to help."

"Unhappy?" He raised his eyebrows at her. "Unhappy?" He repeated. Kagome nodded, unfazed. He gave a gloomy sigh and propped his chin up on his hands. "You have no idea." He grumbled to himself.

"What?" Kagome asked, having not caught what he said. He shook his head. Gods, was he depressed. "Hey, why don't you come up to the house with me?" She smiled cheerfully, hoping that somehow her good mood was infectious.

Inuyasha thought carefully. Stay in his urn and keep his bad mood to himself, or share it to others? Without saying anything, or even moving, he floated towards the door and went ahead of Kagome. The raven-haired girl shrugged and followed him up the slope to the house.

After all, "misery loves company".

(•, •)

( )

This wasn't supposed to be the way it worked.

He was supposed to sit around and be a stick in the mud and all the rest of them were supposed to pick up the bad feelings and mope with him. Souta and Shippo hadn't even noticed his bad mood. Sango and Kirara, upon seeing the poltergeist's current disposition, had seated themselves a good distance away from him and played with a piece of pink string.

Miroku was sitting tensely on the couch, seemingly absorbed in his newspaper. Inuyasha noticed that he kept glancing tersely at various occupants of the room, then looking away quickly. And Sango kept giving him weird looks.

No one was paying attention to him in the slightest. No one but Kagome, who kept shooting him friendly smiles from her card game with Shippo and Souta. Bad moods were no fun unless they were noticed and then spread around, and everyone was either too busy with their own business or avoiding him to do anything about it.

It was too much to bear. The thing about bad moods was that you needed someone to notice them and react. That wasn't happening. He was surrounded by cheerful, happy people who weren't sympathizing or trying to cheer him up. As stubborn as he was, Inuyasha's bad mood began to dissipate, leaving him feeling rather forlorn and abandoned.

"Hey, Inuyasha!" Kagome grinned and waved him over. It'd taken him forever to get out of that funk he'd been in, but she'd noticed the stormy frown had ceased to crease his forehead and his eyes were no longer that stony grey. Stranger yet, she could almost… sense that he felt better, a lightening of his aura.

The poltergeist wandered reluctantly over to the grinning girl. She patted the ground next to her and he floated above the ground next to her. Shippo put down two cards. "Two threes." He said solemnly.

"B. S.!" Souta shouted triumphantly and pointed at the ginger-haired kitsune. "Pick it up!" He grinned maniacally. Shippo picked the cards up and placed them right side up so that they faces were visible. "What!"

"Hah!" Shippo shouted. "Take it! Take it all!" he shoved the pile of cards at his puzzled friend. Souta rifled through his hand.

"Huh?" He asked. "But how's that possible?" He held up three other threes from his own hand. "There's two three of clubs." Shippo looked at the ceiling, the picture of innocence.

"Shippo, take the spell off of the card." Miroku said dryly, not bothering to look up from his paper. "Cheating isn't virtuous."

"Neither is groping people." The fox demon shot back. Miroku looked over the edge of his newspaper at the kit with raised eyebrows and a look of solemn reproach on his face.

"I'll have you know that I haven't groped anyone for over a week." He informed the room. "Nor have I had any dirty thoughts." He turned back to his newspaper, resisting the urge to say, "Hah!"

"But that's only because you lost a bazillion games of Uno to Sango!" Shippo protested. "It doesn't count!" At the opposite end of the room, Sango smirked.

"Well, regardless," Kagome interrupted. "Shippo, you pick up the cards." Grudgingly, the ginger-haired boy grabbed the pile and started to organize them in his hand. Souta grinned.

"One four."

The game resumed with all in the living room in good humor, Inuyasha included. Kagome grinned and looked at him with bright brown eyes. Well, what do you know. For the first time in a few hours, he didn't feel like crap.

In fact, he felt pretty good.

(•.•)

( • )

For Miroku, dinner was a tense affair. He could feel Sango watching him the whole time. While normally this would make dinner a great event, he knew that this time she was looking at him for a very different reason. A reason that he didn't want to confront. "You have to tell them sometime," She'd said.

She was right, too. He couldn't keep it a secret forever. And there was no doubt that they'd believe him because they lived with the evidence. He would not be accused of lunacy, he would not be laughed at or kicked out of the house. So why was he holding back? Feeling rather reckless, Miroku cleared my throat. "My name is Taegada Miroku." He said loudly.

All conversation at the previously noisy table stopped as everyone at the table turned to look at him in surprise. Shippo looked at him in confusion and exchanged a glance with Souta. "So what?" he asked with a shrug.

There was a brief pause as everyone stared at him a bit. Miroku shifted in his seat slightly. "Just forget I said anything." Silence. And then, as if they'd been cued, the others all resumed talking and eating simultaneously.

Well, that was rather … stupid. Miroku toyed with the food on his plate for a bit before eating it. No one had been alarmed, no one had laughed at him. Of course, no one had any idea of what the name implied, either. "So what?" Shippo had asked." So what", indeed. That was the past, this was the present. Across the table, Sango looked at him with a small congratulatory smile

"He who is wise never tries to revise what's past and gone".

(•. •)

( • )

Inuyasha found himself wondering what he was doing, sitting at a table with people eating dinner when he was incapable of eating. They'd even left a seat open for him next to Kagome. It felt very strange to be sitting at a table with nothing to do as everyone around him was eating food.

But it wasn't about the food, obviously. Everyone was talking a laughing, making him feel as if everything was just great, that he had been miserable over nothing. They were irrepressibly cheerful. Kagome turned to him with a grin and a witty comment. Very, very cheerful. Eh, things weren't so bad. They could be worse. The poltergeist found himself wondering why he'd been feeling so horrible in the first place. A little gloom was allowed, of course, but it all seemed so melodramatic in retrospect. The past was the past. It was gone and over with. Set in stone, and there was no way to change it.

"He who is wise never tried to revise what's past and gone." After all, he still had a future to worry about.

(•. •)

( )

Miroku headed back up to his room with a feeling of accomplishment. He'd told everyone his full name. That was the first step. Next step, tell them what happened. That is, if anyone cared. At this point, he could take it or leave it. After blurting his name out so ridiculously at the table and no one seemed to care, he didn't really either.

It was the past, done and gone. There was no more to do or say about it, and that was that. He walked out of his room with a toothbrush in hand and headed to the bathroom. Kagome was already there and brushing her teeth. She waved at him and spat. "Hi."

"Good evening." Miroku replied and unscrewed the cap of the toothpaste. Kagome washed her toothbrush and grabbed a comb.

"So what was the thing with your name at dinner?" She asked curiously. Miroku looked at her calmly without a trace of his former agitation. He squirted some of the paste on his brush and shrugged.

"I just said my name." He replied. Kagome rolled her eyes and looked at him pointedly. "I was expelled from the University of Maebashi." He said finally, fiddling with his toothbrush.

"What?" Kagome put the comb and down and diverted her attention to the violet-eyed man. "Why? What did you do?" She asked incredulously, imagining some horrible groping incident.

"I had a theory, and I clung to it stubbornly, stupidly." Miroku shrugged. "Of course no one believed me, and either called me crazy or laughed in my face and **then** called me crazy. I lost a lot of friends that way."

Kagome winced. "Well, what was you theory?" She asked. Miroku certainly didn't seem like the loony type who'd try and convince the world that there were "aliens walking among us".

"I was convinced that demons from legend were real and that they were still among us." He replied solemnly. Ouch. If she didn't know any better, Kagome would've thought that it was just as bad as aliens. "And eventually I got quite a reputation. The University was forced to 'silence the crazy man', as fate would have it." His smile was off a bit. "And so I was expelled."

"But you're right!" Kagome exclaimed. "You can go back and prove it to all of them and then they'd feel really bad about kicking you out and you'd get your classes back!" Miroku shook his head.

"How do you think people would react?" Kagome's eyes widened in surprise. "And my poor 'evidence' would probably taken away to get tested in all sorts of terrible ways." No wonder Shippo hid so long… "The demon wouldn't be treated as a senescent being."

"Oh, that's horrible." Kagome said and resumed brushing her hair. "You know you're right, but you can't do anything."

"My sentiments exactly." Miroku sighed and began to brush his teeth. Kagome stared unseeingly at the mirror, lost in thought.

She'd never really thought of Shippo being a demon as alarming, never thought about the larger implications. "Demons **do** exist, and they live among us." She let the thought sink in, then grinned. "It sounds like some sort of old science fiction movie."

Miroku nodded sagely. "In many ways, it almost is." He agreed. Sango poked her head around the door with a grin. She patted Miroku on the shoulder supportively and almost made him choke.

"What's wrong?" She asked hastily and he began coughing. "Are you okay?" She laughed nervously. "Miroku?" He was still coughing. "Are you okay?" She repeated.

"You just…" He stared at her in surprise. "You just touched me without it being painful." He looked at her thoughtfully. "Huh." Today was a very interesting day.

"Why would I hurt you?" Sango asked suspiciously. "Clean thoughts." She reminded him, just in case. Miroku nodded. "You didn't do anything….yet." She grabbed the toothpaste. "And don't think of doing anything." She added forewarningly. Sango twisted the cap off of the tube and squeezed some of the white paste on her toothbrush.

Kirara wandered into the bathroom with a mew and jumped onto Sango's shoulder. She looked reproachfully at Miroku with intelligent red eyes. "Hello." He said politely. He assumed that the little fire cat was an intelligent being. She batted a paw in the air, a vague parody of a wave.

Kagome left the bathroom and headed to her room with a weary yawn and a "goodnight". Sango looked at Miroku out of the corner of her eye. "So you told her," she said in a conversational tone.

"I did." Miroku replied and spat out toothpaste. "And she didn't care." He added. Sango nodded and rinsed off her toothbrush.

"I didn't think that she would." She admitted. If Kagome didn't care that she was living with two demons and a spectral half-demon, she doubted that the raven-haired girl would mind living with a suspected nutter whom she knew wasn't crazy at all.

Miroku looked at her thoughtfully. "You said you believed me." He said slowly. Sango watched him carefully. "Did you mean it?" He asked with a frown.

Kirara mewed on Sango's shoulder and the young woman rubbed the little cat's head absently. "Of course. Why would I lie?" Miroku shrugged. "Besides," Sango added. "I had proof myself." She looked pointedly at the demon on her shoulder,

Miroku nodded, expression unreadable, and left the bathroom with a courteous "goodnight" to Sango. She frowned slightly after he left. "I wonder what that was about?" She asked Kirara.

"Mew." The little fire cat replied. Sango nodded with a smile and put the toothpaste away. She grabbed her toothbrush and comb and left the room.

(•. •)

( )

Inuyasha floated high in the air, above the house. The moon hung in the dark night sky like a newly-minted nickel. With nothing left to occupy his thoughts, they drifted back towards Kikyo, and the entire incident. With a resigned sigh, he left his mind to his memories.

He was surprised when his mind moved away from thoughts of Kikyo –whom he was very, very confused about- and towards a certain raven-haired girl slumbering below. He stared down at the little black square that was the house below him with surprise. Sometimes he didn't understand himself.

So what was so special about her that he kept thinking about her? It was actually slightly disturbing for him. She was always lurking in the back of his mind and when he didn't have anything better to do, he found himself wondering what she was doing at that moment, where she was. And half the time he'd ended up going to see her. Huh. It was a mystery, but not really.

Because if he really tried to understand, he knew what he'd find.

(0.0)

( )

AN: Tell me! Next chapter, or improve the old ones? You are all included in the decision-making process! So… tell me! (I didn't write a cliffhanger this time! Yay!)

And WOW, is it just me or is Miroku incredibly OOC in this chapter? If so, please tell me how to fix it! (Because he gave me lotsa hell this chapter…)


	11. Plans Are Made, Traps Are Laid

AN: Well, looks like next chapter won out. So, here it is. Enjoy! (So then I'm assuming that I should improve all the chapters and stuff that I want to after the end of the story, then? Suits me well.)

THANK YOU RIN SAMA1989! I feel so stupid right now for changing Sango's last name! (Can't believe I did that. Kagura was "Miyagi"! ….So, as "the Miyagi girl" she's gotta kill herself?...) I will correct it! (And Helium is very cute! But I shall restrain myself from stealing him from you.)

Thanks for all the complements that you guys have given me! They are greatly appreciated and I've read all of them and felt very happy for doing so! Again, thanks so much!

Disclaimer: Inuyasha isn't mine (I'm lacking in originality today.)

Haunted

Chapter Eleven: Plans Are Made, Traps Are Laid

Kagura was running out of time. It had been four out of the six days that she'd been given and she still couldn't find the thrice-cursed Akutagawa girl whom she had to kill. "Where are you?" She asked the air as she rushed through it on her feather.

She'd tried searching by air. That hadn't been effective. She tried asking around. Nothing. Kagura was at her wit's end. Much as she hated it, she might have to go to Naraku and ask, just as he wanted her to. But that she would use only as a last resort. **The** last resort.

"That bastard…" She spat under her breath. He'd given her a nigh impossible task. "I don't even know the girl's full name!" She snarled. Scarlet eyes widened in surprise as she noticed a small black speck in the distance. "Too big to be a bird," She murmured and shielded her eyes against the sun. "Then what…?"

She flew closer to the thing. As she got in range, she saw that it was a demon. It was creamy white with slit-pupiled red eyes and large fangs. A fire cat, if the flames around its feet were any indication. Kagura watched it for a moment with temporary interest. Demons were actually rather rare, and to see one flying around in broad daylight was surprising.

But she didn't have time to sit around a gawk at the strange phenomena. She had to find the girl. The wind witch ground her teeth in frustration and swooped away. One more day, then she'd go to Naraku and ask. But first, she had some last-minute searching to do.

(• .•)

( • )

"Hey, Kagome!" The raven-haired girl turned in surprise. Kouga waved from the back door of the house. Inuyasha, who was sitting next to her, ground his teeth. "How are you?" Kouga grinned.

Kagome smiled back. "Hi, Kouga!" She looked to Inuyasha and got up. "Come on!" She smiled and waited for him to follow. Golden eyes glared at her. "What?" She asked, puzzled.

Inuyasha folded his arms over his chest. "I don't want to go anywhere near that disgusting man." He snarled. Kagome backed away slightly at the vehemence of his tone.

"What happened to **you**?" She asked in confusion. "Only a minute ago you were in a pretty good mood." Inuyasha snorted.

"Tell him to go away and stop stinking up the house." He floated a few inches off of the ground in a cross-legged position until he was at eye-level with Kagome. "It'll take days for the smell to go away."

Kagome's frown deepened as she walked back to the house, still arguing with Inuyasha as he floated beside her. "What is **wrong** with you? You've never even met Kouga and you already hate him! Try and have an open mind!"

Inuyasha's eyes flashed ochre. "I don't need to know him!" he spat. "I can tell from here that he's a disgusting, mangy-"

Kagome, now angry, cut him off. "He helped me out and brought me home! And he's nice!" She looked at him incredulously. What on **earth** was he so upset about?

Inuyasha snorted and turned away but stayed floating next to her. They crossed the lawn –which Mrs. Higurashi had trimmed quit nicely- and arrived at the door. "Kagome!" Kouga stepped towards the girl, ignoring Inuyasha, and grabbed her hands.

Kagome looked at him in surprise. "Hi." She said uneasily. Inuyasha growled next to her. Carefully, Kagome freed her hands and occupied them by removing her shoes and stepping inside the house, Inuyasha following closely behind her. She turned around and looked at Kouga. "So what brings you here?" She asked with a smile.

"You, actually." Kouga said blatantly and made another grab for her hands. This time, Inuyasha intercepted in a vague way. He swerved in between the two and glared at Kouga with bright golden eyes. "…And you are?" Kouga asked with raised eyebrows.

"Someone who wants you out." The angry poltergeist growled and pointed to the door. "Now." Kouga looked at him incredulously.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome protested. "Don't be rude!" She turned to Kouga. "Don't mind him. He just gets a bit grumpy every now and then." She said hastily and sent the poltergeist a death glare. Golden eyes stared back.

Kouga shrugged. "You should train your pets better." He said carelessly to Kagome. Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something back, but Kagome beat him to it.

"He's not a pet!" She protested. "He's my friend and he lives here!" She put her hands on her hips mulishly. "And don't call him that!" Kouga shrugged.

"Whatever." The black-haired man took a seat at the couch and made himself at home. "So, Kagome." He looked at her over his shoulder casually. "You doing anything right now?" he asked.

"Huh?" Kagome asked in surprise. Color flooded from Inuyasha's eyes to the rest of him. "Um, I don't think so…" She said reluctantly.

"Come on." Kouga got off the couch and grabbed her hand. Kagome got tugged along to the door in surprise. "Let's go get something to eat."

Miroku was suddenly in the doorway. "I'm sure that there's enough food here at the moment if you are hungry, Kouga." He said smoothly. Shippo sat on his shoulder and glared at Kouga fiercely.

"A fox demon!" He exclaimed in surprise and let go of Kagome's hand. The raven-haired girl backed away hastily. Behind her, Inuyasha was starting to vent an acrid black smoke. Little bolts of static cackled across his spectral flesh.

"A wolf demon!" Shippo retorted and stared balefully at Kouga, who took a step back in surprise. "Don't deny it!" The ginger-haired boy pointed an accusatory finger.

"H-how did you…?" He asked in shock. The kitsune looked at him smugly. Behind him, Kagome stared at Kouga.

"A wolf demon?" She repeated. "How come everyone's a demon?" She asked. "This is so weird…" She shook her head and sat down at the couch. There was a strange zapping sound and everyone in the room turned around.

Inuyasha was still standing in the doorway, looking at Kouga with furious gold eyes. The smoke was curling around the floor, charged with miniature bolts of electricity. "Mangy wolf." He snarled. "Get out!"

"You're one to talk, puppy!" Kouga retorted. "But I'm not here for you." He waved a hand in the poltergeist's direction. "Come on, Kagome." He grinned at her. "Let's leave the family pet and go get some food."

"If I see you laying one hand on Kagome again, you're dead!" Inuyasha growled and spewed smoke at a faster rate. The smoke detector went off. Kagome, Shippo and Miroku rushed out of the room as it became filled with smoke, leaving the two angry demons behind.

"Dead like you?" Kouga smirked. The furious poltergeist –now fully colored- glared daggers at the wolf demon and rushed forward, swiping a clawed hand at Kouga.

Kouga didn't even flinch as the hand went through his head. Inuyasha swiped again, a few sparks clinging to his hand. "Ouch!" The sparks zapped the wolf demon. "Insolent puppy!" Kouga cracked his knuckles, "You're going to die a second death!"

Sango burst into the room with her mask and fan at the ready. "OUT!" She yelled and brandished her fan at the two like a weapon. "Right now!" Kouga didn't move and stood arrogantly in the middle of the room.

"Or what?" He asked intimidatingly. Sango strode over to him and whacked him in the head with the wooden fan. Kouga yelped, inhaled smoke and coughed, stumbling out into the other room. Inuyasha sniggered. Sango turned to him. "OUT!" She repeated. Sango sighed and muttered threats under her breath as she opened the windows and the door and began using the fan. Inuyasha floated through the wall and into the other room without saying anything.

"Kouga, really." Kagome said hastily. "I'm not hungry, and I'm actually really, really busy right now!" Kouga dropped her hands and seemed to accept her answer.

"Maybe some other time." He grinned tauntingly at Inuyasha. "Well, see ya then, Kags!" Kagome winced at the abbreviation of her name.

"I hate it when people call me that." She sighed after the wolf demon closed the door behind him. "'Kags'" She muttered to herself. "Ugh."

Miroku glanced at Inuyasha and upon seeing his expression hurried up the stairs, Shippo on his shoulder. "What the hell was that?" Inuyasha asked heatedly. Kagome looked at him in surprise.

"That was Kouga." She said, puzzled at his question. "I didn't know that he was a wolf demon." She added. The poltergeist glared at her.

"You know what I mean!" He growled, still fully colored. Kagome shook her head at him slowly. "That attitude! Acting so eager-to-please, letting him hold your hands." He snarled. Just to add insult to injury, he added, "Kags."

"Don't call me that!" Kagome cried angrily. "My name is 'Kagome'! Ka-go-me!" She enunciated clearly. "Not 'Kags'!" She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Oh, just forget it! I'm so sick of this!" She took a step towards the stairs.

"What?" Inuyasha asked, bitterly angry. "So sick of what?" He repeated fiercely, arms folded over his chest as some of the color started to fade from his feet. Kagome stopped and turned to look at him.

She waved her arms around in the air. "Of fighting with you about stupid things!" She said in exasperation. "I hate it!"

"It's not stupid!" The poltergeist argued strongly. "That mangy wolf is stupid!" Kagome looked at him in surprise. Inuyasha paused and huffed. In the other room, the smoke alarm stopped screeching.

"Inuyasha…" The anger was gone, at least momentarily. "Are you jealous?" She asked. Kouga was nothing to be jealous about… He was just a friend.

"No!" His face flushed redder. He spluttered for a moment. "No!" he repeated and turned his back to Kagome. She rolled her eyes at him.

"No, of course not." She murmured, forgetting about his exceptional hearing. The smoke detector started up again in the other room and Sango swore blackly.

"I'm **not**!" He protested. "Why would I be jealous of that mangy, weak, idiotic wolf?" Kagome shook her head. "I'm **not**!" He repeated and turned around to yell at her. He glared for a moment, then turned away so that he was sitting a cross-legged position with his back to her, three feet up in the air. There was a smashing sound, and the beeping halted abruptly.

Sango stormed out of the living room and pulled the mask off her face, glaring daggers at the sulking poltergeist. "Inuyasha," She said, voice clipped. "you need to learn to control your temper, or at least your smoke!"

Inuyasha looked at her reproachfully. "I'm not always going to clean up the mess you make!" Sango continued. "So please, please learn to do things without making that smoke." She closed the fan –she was starting to think of it as "her fan"- with a snap and plodded up the stairs.

"Hey." Kagome said softly and moved so that she was standing next to the sulking poltergeist. "About that smoke… what does it do?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"It turns on the smoke detectors and smells bad." Inuyasha replied stubbornly, face still averted from the raven-haired girl sitting beside him. "And it makes Sango really angry." He added with a small smirk.

Kagome sighed. "You know what I mean." She reprimanded gently. "What's its purpose?" Inuyasha shrugged. "You don't know?" Kagome interpreted.

"Nope." He replied resentfully, clearly still brooding. Kagome sighed again and stood up. "Where are you going?" Inuyasha asked gruffly.

"For a walk." Kagome replied huffily. She walked out of the entryway and through the living room to the door. She paused, the door half-open and turned around. "Wanna come?" She asked sheepishly.

Inuyasha shrugged as the color continued to fade from his body. "Maybe." He replied noncommittally. "If I have to." He glowered at her slightly.

"Well I'm not making you." Kagome told him waspishly and opened the door further. "Come if you want." She stepped outside and put on a pair of shoes. Grumbling slightly to himself, Inuyasha floated forwards and followed her out the door.

"Fine." The last of the color drained from his face, leaving him with a faded look. The poltergeist drifted three feet or so away from the ground, next to Kagome as she walked.

"Wait." Kagome stopped. Inuyasha looked at her curiously, his bad mood dissipating. "You…" She peered closer at his face until hers was only a few inches from his. Inuyasha backed away nervously. "Your face… She looked at his sleeve. "AND you arm!" She frowned.

"What?" Inuyasha asked, agitated. "Is something wrong?" He looked closely at his sleeve. "Hey…" He frowned too. "Wasn't this all grey before?" He asked. "Or was that just me?" He dangled the long sleeve in front of his face. It was still grey, but there was just a tiny hint of red in it that one had to peer at closely in order to notice.

"Nope." Kagome shook her head. "It was all grey." She peered into his face again and Inuyasha looked away uncomfortably. "Oh, come on!" She said. "I just wanna check!"

Grudgingly, the poltergeist turned around. Kagome looked at his face. "Definitely some color there." She told him. "It's in your eyes, too." She avoided looking in them though, remembering that terrible lost and hurt look she'd seen in them last time. Busily, she looked to the top of his head. "And your ears. It's probably in your hair, but that's already white so I can't tell." She babbled, feeling inexplicably nervous. Those eyes…

They walked –floated, in Inuyasha's case- in silence as they made their way up the path. "I wonder what it means," Kagome pondered after a while. Inuyasha looked at her in bemusement. "The color thing." She explained.

Inuyasha shrugged and stopped abruptly. "What's wrong?" Kagome asked in confusion. Inuyasha glared down the slope towards the house.

"Can't go any further." He said, voice clipped. He was a prisoner. He could only go so far from his urn, in any direction. Recalling the night that Kagome went missing and he was unable to do anything, he clenched his fists tightly, and deliberately moved forward.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked worriedly. "Is something wrong?" All she had seen was the play of emotions on his face; anger, helpless self-loathing –which really alarmed her- and then determination. "Stop!" She cried as his face contorted in pain. "You're hurting yourself!" He moved forward again and colors surged across his spectral form. "Inuyasha!" She repeated desperately as he started sinking lower towards the ground, still moving obstinately forward up the hill. Kagome grabbed at his sleeve and looked in horror as the stuff disintegrated at her tough.

In a stroke of brilliance, Kagome threw herself down the steep hill, screaming as she went. "AIEEEEEEEE!" Inuyasha turned at once, his haori disintegrating into little flecks in the air as he went.

"Kagome!" He surged up into the air and down the hill and back into his territory, a little worse for wear. "KAGOME!" He shouted again and raced down the hill.

The raven-haired girl, after gaining so much momentum, was unable to stop and kept rolling, plowing through a small thicket- "Ow!"- and then hit the small rickety fence at the bottom with a crash- "**OW**!"

"Kagome!" She blinked, dizzy. "Kagome, you idiot!" Oh, it was Inuyasha. Kagome winced, eyes still closed. She ached all over. "Kagome! Say something!" Inuyasha's voice rang out desperately over her head. And to her utmost surprise, a hand grabbed her shoulder desperately. "Kagome!" Another cool, callused hand went to her forehead and to cradle the side of her face.

Startled brown eyes snapped open. "Kagome!" Inuyasha pulled his hands back immediately. "You idiot!" He shouted and stood up, eyes flashing. "How on **earth** could anyone be so clumsy!" Well, it was Kagome he was talking about… "Don't you **ever** do that again!"

Kagome sat up dizzily and rubbed the back of her head. "I-Inuyasha?" She asked unsteadily and looked up at him from her seat among the shattered fence.

"What?" He asked gruffly, golden eyes glinting in the sun.

"I'm glad you're okay." Kagome flopped back down to the grass and shattered wood. Inuyasha stared at her, gaze unreadable and sat down next to her, the grass flattening beneath his weight.

Kaogme suddenly sat up and poked him in the shoulder. Inuyasha flinched. "Hey!" He protested. "What was that for?" He scooted away slightly.

"You're alive." She grinned. "And it's not the half moon…" She poked him again and the half-demon glared at her. "You're alive!" She cheered and laughed. "And you didn't die when you tried to go up the hill!" She was still feeling a bit dizzy…

Inuyasha's black brows snapped together. "What?" He asked in a dangerously calm tone. "You mean to tell me…" Kagome gulped and rolled to the side, lying down again. "… that you fell all the way down here **on purpose**?" His voice rose in volume. "How could you be so stupid?" He waved hands of flesh and blood in the air.

"Well, we're both okay now, right?" Kagome asked and shaded her eyes from the sun. "So it was worth it." Inuyasha stared down at her incredulously. There was a long scratch on her cheek down to her chin that had raised a welt, a bruise on her arm and a lot of small scratches and her black hair was tousled. How could she be so cheerful?

"You fell down the hill because I wouldn't stop going up?" He asked with a frown, then yelled at her, "That was really stupid!"

"You wouldn't listen when I told you to stop!" Kagome protested and sat up. "And you were starting to fall apart!" Her eyes stung and she blinked hard. "I was really scared! I thought that you'd die!" A lone tear fell down her face and sparkled in the afternoon sun before hitting the grass.

Inuyasha gulped. "Why are you crying?" He asked gruffly. "There's nothing to cry about! Everybody's fine!" He assured her hurriedly. Kagome sniffed and wiped her eyes.

"I was worried about you!" She said vehemently. "I didn't want you to die! And don't you **ever** do that again, or I'll fall down the hill!" She threatened, waving a finger in his face.

Inuyasha grabbed her hand and pulled it away from his face angrily. Suddenly, they both stopped arguing. Kagome stared at his hand, wrapped around hers. He dropped it hastily and brought his eyes up to the blue sky overhead, lying on his back in the grass with his arms cushioning his head.

Wordlessly, Kagome dropped beside him and stared up at the clouds. Inuyasha closed his eyes contentedly. He'd forgotten what he'd been missing. The sun on his face, the gentle sigh of the wind, the sharp smell of crushed grass underneath him, all thrilled his senses. He sighed happily and opened his eyes to stare up at the sky again.

Kagome looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He looked so happy, so peaceful. She smiled and looked back up at the sky, not noticing that Inuyasha's golden gaze was now on her.

He was stunned. Kagome had fallen down the hill for him. Doubtless, it was quite possibly the stupidest thing that she'd ever done, but she'd done it for him. He marveled at her selflessness. She'd put herself in danger, at the mercy of the slope which could've killed her or broken some bones so that he'd stop…killing himself, really.

"I was really scared! I thought that you'd die!" Her words echoed in his head. The wind rustled the leaves of the nearby forest and the long green grass waved gently, tickling his ears. Puffy white clouds chased each other across the dusty blue sky and over the glowing sun. A bird chirped sweetly somewhere in the forest.

"Thanks." Inuyasha said finally, still staring at the sky as the sun warmed his face. The grass rustled as Kagome turned her head to look at him.

"For what?" She asked curiously, staring at him with brown eyes that glittered in the noonday sun and shone on her bluish-black hair. Inuyasha didn't look at her when he replied.

"Thanks for caring."

(•. •)

( )

Pop!

Shippo giggled and stepped on another bubble. There was tons of the bubble wrap in the room that he and Souta had been exploring. The stuff was so entertaining. Shippo sat down on the stuff with a delighted grin.

Pop pop pop pop!

Souta laughed and grabbed an armful of the bubble wrap. He placed it in a heap on the floor, one sheet on top of the other. He grinned and waved at his kitsune friend. "Hey, Shippo!" The ginger-haired boy turned around, still sitting on the sheet of bubble wrap that he was currently occupied with. Souta took a step back and jumped.

Pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop!

The two boys laughed and grabbed handfuls of the stuff, placing more sheets on top of each other. They grinned at each other and paced backwards until they were against the wall. "Ready, set, GO!" They ran forward together and hit the bubble wrap with a series of loud popping noises.

Miroku stuck his head in the room. "What's going on here?" he asked, frowning. "Oh." The scene was self-explanatory. "Bubble wrap. Have fun." He shut the door. That was going to occupy them for at least a few hours. Just wait until they find the packing foam things…

He continued down the hallway, en route to the now smoke-free living room to sit and read. He sat down on the couch and grabbed the newspaper on the couch. After looking at it for a moment, he put it back with a sigh. Yesterday's. He sat idly on the couch with nothing to do. A faint cackling, buzzing noise overhead caused him to look up. Miroku frowned. "What happened to the smoke detector…?"

Sango poked her head out of the kitchen and replied shortly. "It wouldn't shut up." Miroku shrugged and got off the couch. He sauntered into the kitchen, where Sango was about to pour herself a bowl of cereal.

"Cereal for lunch?" He asked dubiously. Sango put down the box and looked up at him from her seat at the kitchen table with a shrug.

"Got a better idea?" She asked. Miroku sighed regretfully and took the box of cereal away from her. He put the milk back in the refrigerator and the cereal back in the cupboard.

"Cereal," he said solemnly as he pulled out a frying pan. "Is not a lunch food." He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a few varied ingredients. "I'll make you lunch."

"Thanks for offering, but I think I'd rather have the cereal." She eyed the frying pan dubiously. Miroku paused from his preparations to look at her reproachfully.

"Do you hate my cooking, Sango?" He asked and turned on the stove. Sango shook her head and put her bowl and spoon back in their places.

"Your food is a bit too…. exotic for me." She admitted. Exotic, indeed. He came up with the strangest foods, like lettuce in rice with cheese. While most of the time it wasn't half bad, some of the time it was just a bit too much.

"What do you mean?" Miroku continued his preparations. He cracked an egg into the frying pan and it sizzled. He put in some shitake mushrooms –Sango winced- and some sort of green.

"Is that broccoli?" She asked hesitantly. Miroku nodded rather enthusiastically and pulled out a cutting board. He placed the head of broccoli on the board and started to cut it. "Don't tell me you're going to put that in with the egg stuff." Sango stared at him as if he was crazy.

"If you insist, I will not tell you, but I will do it nonetheless." Miroku answered eloquently and dumped the broccoli in the frying pan with the rest of the food, "It will mix well with the asparagus." He added. Sango gaped at him.

"What are you **doing**!" She asked as he grabbed the carton of milk. He poured a tiny bit into the pan and put it back into the refrigerator.

"Making your lunch." Miroku didn't look up as he stirred the contents of the pan. "Much better than cereal." He added. Sango stared at him incredulously and stepped behind him to look at the pan.

"Umm…" She hummed to herself. "It looks… interesting." Miroku stirred it again. To be honest, it didn't look half bad and if she hadn't known about all the strange ingredients in the omelet-thing, she would've tried it without hesitation.

"I agree." Miroku said back and turned off the stove. Sango looked at the thing uncertainly. Upon seeing the black-haired young woman's response, Miroku offered, "Would you like me to eat some first and tell you if it's okay?"

Sango nodded fervently. Miroku put the pan back on the stove and grabbed two plates. He shoveled some of the interesting omelet onto his plate. Without hesitation, he put some of it in his mouth and chewed slowly. He swallowed and frowned. "It has a very interesting texture. But the broccoli and the asparagus blend well with the mushroom and the cheese. The milk kept it nice and fluffy." He added with satisfaction.

Sango looked at him with raised eyebrows. So, there was a method to his madness. "Overall, I'd give it a… say, eight out of ten." Sango nodded and put some of Miroku's concoction on her own plate. "Not the best thing, but pretty good." He concluded.

Hesitantly, Sango put some in her mouth and chewed. He was right. Not bad. It tasted a bit strange, granted, but it was… unique. Pretty good, actually. She swallowed and ate some more. "I take it that you agree with me." Miroku smiled as Sango continued eating. "I'm glad that it meets your approval." He added.

Sango nodded. "I've never had anything like it." She admitted after swallowing. "How did you know that it would be okay?" She asked curiously. Miroku shrugged and put his now-empty plate in the sink with the frying pan.

"I didn't." He said with a shrug. "I was hoping. Most of the time things work out, though." Sango stared at him for a moment, then let it go. She finished eating; aware that Miroku's eyes were on her as she did so.

She put her plate in the sink and smiled. "Thank you." Miroku got up out of his seat, the feet of the chair skidding across the wooden floor.

"If you wish to properly thank me," Sango glared at him and waited for a trademark-perverted comment. She was surprised when he said, "then you can do the dishes." Sango nodded without hesitation. Miroku, guessing her thoughts, tapped his head and said, "Clean thoughts," before leaving the room.

Huh. Sango turned on the water and grabbed the dish soap. Was it just her, or was Miroku actually acting decent for once?

(•.•)

( • )

There was a crash, the sound of splintering wood. Miroku looked up from the book he was reading and peered out the window at the fence. "KAGOME!" Inuyasha's voice rang distantly across the long distance. Sango dashed out of the kitchen, her hands still covered in soapsuds that she didn't bother to try and wipe off. Miroku stood up abruptly and slammed open the back door. He slid on a pair of shoes and went running, Sango running next to him.

"What was that?" Sango asked, breathing easily. Miroku shrugged and kept running. The fence was still about one hundred yards away through the edge of the forest when they heard Inuyasha and Kagome arguing. Both slowed pace, now confident that the black-haired girl was all right.

"-so stupid?" Inuyasha voice rang out, enraged. Sango and Miroku peered out at the scene from behind a tree about twenty yards back.

"Well, we're both okay now, right?" Kagome was lying on the ground, bits of the broken fence scattered around her. "So it was worth it."

"You fell down the hill because I wouldn't stop going up? That was really stupid!" Inuyasha yelled. Sango exchanged glances with Miroku.

"You wouldn't listen when I told you to stop! And you were starting to fall apart! I was really scared! I thought that you'd die!" The two eavesdroppers exchanged another glance. Miroku smiled. So as he suspected, there was more to Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship than being friends.

"Why are you crying? There's nothing to cry about! Everybody's fine!" Miroku stared at Inuyasha in fascination. He was alive… and whole. But how was that possible? He glanced at Sango, who was wearing a similar expression.

"I was worried about you!" Kagome said. "I didn't want you to die! And don't you **ever** do that again, or I'll fall down the hill!" They watched as Kagome poked one of her fingers in the flesh-and-blood Inuyasha's face.

His hand went up and grabbed hers. They stared at each other for a bit, and then Inuyasha let go and they flopped back on the grass. Miroku grinned. It looked like Inuyasha was finally going to tell Kagome how he felt.

It was pretty obvious to everyone else that Kagome was close to him, or maybe just obvious to Miroku, since Sango's eyes were wide with surprise. She put a hand over her mouth and looked at Miroku in horror. "I forgot to turn off the water!" She mouthed to him. "And the plug is in the drain!"

Miroku laughed silently, and hand over his mouth. Sango tugged his sleeve and dragged him away at a rushed pace. As soon as they cleared the forest, she broke out into a run, still tugging on Miroku's shirt. "I can't believe it!" She exclaimed.

"Can't believe that Inuyasha and Kagome like each other?" Miroku asked as they ran. Sango shook her head at him, her long hair floating out behind her.

"I can't believe that I left the water on!" Miroku chuckled and kept running.

High above them, drifting on a feather, a certain scarlet-eyed wind witch smirked. "Gotcha, Akutagawa." Looks like she didn't need Naraku's help after all. Kagura pulled away upon a strong gust of wind and allowed her malicious grin to widen. She'd kill the girl later that night.

(•. •)

( )

Mrs. Higurashi dusted off her hands and inspected her work. She'd put down roughly a third of the bricks around the lawn as a border and pulled out dozens of weeds. "I think that's enough for one day," She decided and looked up at the sky. "What's that?" She peered up at a small shape high in the sky. "A feather…?" She murmured.

Sango and Miroku sprinted through the grass and past her to the house. "Is it just me," She addressed them. "Or is there a large white feather in the sky?" They both paused and Miroku shooed Sango towards the house before answering Mrs. Higurashi.

"Where?" He asked sharply. The older woman pointed and watched as he shielded his eyes from the bright sun. "Indeed," He murmured softly. "This does not bode well." They passed for a moment, both watching the feather slowly drift on the wind. Miroku bowed to Mrs. Higurashi. "Thank you for pointing it out." He said sincerely.

The older woman nodded, confused. "Of course." She smiled. He was a polite one… Miroku rushed back to the house and left Mrs. Higurashi to herself. She stared up at the sky again and her eyes widened in surprise. "What?" The feather –there was no doubt that it was a feather- swerved suddenly and took off in a different direction at a rapid pace. "Hm." She shrugged and picked up her gardening paraphernalia.

Miroku on the other hand was much more sure of what was going on. He rushed into the house, tossing his shoes –they were actually Mr. Higurashi's- outside haphazardly and hurried into the kitchen.

Sango was scrubbing at the floor with a towel, a stormy expression on her face and large puddle of water around her feet. "I can't believe I did that." She shook her head ruefully as Miroku stepped into the room.

"Sango." She looked at him curiously. "Mrs. Higurashi spotted the demon that was here before." She raised her eyebrows and put the towel down.

"So what should we do?" She asked. "It's too much of a coincidence that she's been here twice." She frowned.

"I agree." Miroku nodded. "I think that all of us should be aware and be careful." He shrugged. "What else **can** we do?" Sango's eyes lit with an idea. She stood up and called for Kirara. The little cat skittered into the room a moment later and mewed.

"I'll go get Hiraikotsu!" She decided eagerly. Her eyes softened slightly. "If everything's still there." Miroku nodded sympathetically. He'd lost both of his parents at a pretty young age. His mother died giving birth to him and his father had a disease that eventually killed him.

"Would you like me to go with you?" He asked seriously. Sango looked at him in surprise and then shook her head. Kirara hopped onto her shoulder and the two of them walked out of the room.

"No, you tell the others." She said. "With Kirara, I'll be back in no time." She grinned at the fire cat on her shoulder. "She's really fast when she needs to be, and it's only about twenty miles. Easy." Miroku nodded.

"Good luck." He told her encouragingly. Sango nodded and bent down to grab a pair of shoes. Clean thoughts… Miroku's eyes strayed to her rear. Clean thoughts… with a great show of effort, he dragged his eyes to the floor.

Sango stood up and wiggled her toes in the pair of shoes. "Oops, these are Kagome's." She shrugged. I hope she doesn't mind." She hurried out the back door. "If I'm not back in an hour, then you'd better start worrying." She informed him. Miroku nodded.

"I'll go tell Kagome and Inuyasha now." He added, slipping on an anonymous pair of shoes as well and following her to the middle of the lawn. "Have a safe trip." He offered. Sango smiled briefly and Kirara leaped off of her shoulder, transforming as she landed on the grass. Sango jumped onto the demon cats back with ease and waved.

"Let's go, Kirara!" She said to her friend. With a soft growl the large demon leaped into the air, small flames cackling into life around her paws. In a few moments, demon and rider were only a black speck high in the air.

Miroku sighed and walked back to the fence where Kagome and Inuyasha were when he'd last seen them. It had only been a few minutes; they'd still be there. He walked at a sedate pace –the sandals that he was borrowing were much too large for him- and sighed.

"Never a dull moment, is there?" He sighed and trudged on, the long grass that Mrs. Higurashi had yet to trim waved around his feet as he went. He looked up at the sky again. No sign of the feather. He wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing.

Leaves crunched under his feet as he walked through the edge of the forest. The temperature dropped a few degrees and it grew darker as he went through it, lost in thought. He stopped by the same tree that he and Sango had hid behind and looked for Kagome and Inuyasha. They were as they had been before, staring up at the sky and talking softly.

Regretfully, he sighed and stepped into the clearing. "I'm sorry to disturb your little love-fest-" Inuyasha and Kagome whirled around, both faces tinged pink as they spluttered incoherently. Miroku continued smoothly, eyes twinkling in amusement. "-but there is something that we must discuss."

"Yes?" Kagome asked, face still flushed in embarrassment. Miroku sat down on the grass and fiddled with a splinter of wood.

"It appears that the demon who landed in the library, or ballroom has returned." Inuyasha smirked slightly and Kagome watched him with wide eyes.

"Well, we'll just have to get her to leave then, won't we?" He cracked his knuckles. Miroku looked at him with surprise in his purple eyes.

"Surely you don't think that you've broken the spell?" He asked incredulously. It was Inuyasha's turn to look at him in surprise. "If I understand correctly, that spell has lasted for five hundred years and seems quite permanent." He said.

"So it was old, and it broke." Inuyasha concluded. Miroku shook his head and plucked at a piece of grass idly. "Well. I'm alive, aren't I?" Inuyasha asked and poked himself in the chest.

"Until the spell reactivates." Miroku countered. "Which could be at any moment." Kagome looked at Miroku with a thoughtful frown.

"How do you know all this?" The black-haired girl asked curiously. Inuyasha watched the violet-eyed man with interest as he hesitated before replying.

"I did a lot of research." He said finally. Kagome nodded and Inuyasha shrugged. The monk was right, he thought bitterly. Any spell by such a powerful priestess as Kikyo was sure to last an eternity or longer. "But," Miroku frowned thoughtfully. "It seems that something is wearing down at the spell." Inuyasha looked up, startled.

"What?" He asked and leaned forward intently. "What's wearing at the spell?" Maybe he could find a way to break it… Miroku shrugged and pulled out a piece of grass, twirling it between his fingers as he answered.

"I don't know." He admitted. "But it's something recent." He looked up at Inuyasha. "Am I correct in assuming that you've never turned alive before now?" He asked. Inuyasha nodded. "And you slept most of the time?" Inuyasha nodded again. "Then it is something recent, perhaps an old relic brought from the Higurashi shrine that counters the spell." Kagome and Inuyasha listened intently. "Or perhaps even yourself, Inuyasha."

"Me?" The demi-demon asked incredulously. "But then the spell would've been failing before." He pointed out. A white triangular ear twitched as Miroku let go of the piece of grass he hand and the leaf collided with it.

"But you are not the same person that you were." Miroku replied. "Now, you don't want to be a poltergeist. Before, you didn't care one way or another." Inuyasha inclined his head slightly in agreement. What a horrible half-life…

"Well anyway," Kagome changed the subject. "About the demon-woman." She shuddered slightly in remembrance of the horrible feeling that she'd given off. "Are we doing anything about it?"

"Ah, yes." Miroku remembered why he had come in the first place. "We are going to be aware of where we are and not put ourselves at risk." He said. Inuyasha sighed wearily. "And Sango is getting her demon exterminating stuff." He added. Inuyasha's ears twitched towards him in interest.

"So she's going to fight with the demon?" He asked. Miroku shrugged. The former poltergeist cracked his knuckles again. "I haven't done anything useful lately," He said suggestively. He stood up and looked around the sky. "So where is this demon now?"

Miroku looked at him in surprise. "She's gone. She left a while ago." Inuyasha sat down again, looking rather put out. Kagome looked at him in interest. She knew next to nothing about his past.

"You fought with demons?" She asked curiously. Inuyasha looked at her with an unreadable expression.

"I had to." He explained. "It was me or them." The black-haired girl looked at him in surprise. "Demons don't accept half-demons." He said shortly, clearly not wishing to discuss the subject further.

Miroku cleared his throat. "I think it would be best if we all went back inside and told the others about our situation." He said. Kagome nodded and Inuyasha stood up, long red sleeves flapping in the wind.

"Well, let's go." The demi-demon said impatiently. Kagome and Miroku stood up and the three of them walked back towards the house.

(0.0)

( )

Sango took a deep breath and stepped of the walkway to her old house, the green paint sign still upon it. The door was closed. With trembling fingers she fumbled in her pocket for the keys to the house and opened the door with a creaking sigh. Tentatively, she stuck her head in and almost expected the interior of the house to be as if she'd never left, her brother and father sitting on the couch and watching a movie together.

It wasn't that much of a disappointment when the house was empty. She didn't remove her shoes at the door, almost afraid that if she practiced the familiar gesture she wouldn't be able to leave. She walked carefully through the hallway and into the living room for the first time in weeks. Kirara mewed softly against her cheek as she walked around the room and tenderly placed things in their proper places.

She sighed heavily and scrubbed fiercely at her eyes before walking reverently up the carpeted stairs that creaked gently. She ran her hand over the familiar, smooth wooden banister –it was starting to collect dusk- and smiled sadly. She couldn't come back; it wasn't the same. The house felt so empty, lonely. A terrible sadness permeated the still atmosphere as Sango walked silently into her old room and gazed at her old stuff.

It felt like an eternity since she'd lived happily in the house with her family, a distant fond memory. To be walking through it again was almost too much. Sango dragged her gaze from an old photo and grabbed Hiraikotsu and her exterminating paraphernalia that she'd never really had to use before. She rushed out of the room, part of screaming over the familiarity and staying, the other part finding the house unbearable to be in.

Unable to help herself, Sango opened the door to her brother's room and looked in sadly. Blinking back unwanted tears, she gently closed the door, almost afraid to make a sound in the absolute silence of the house, and rushed down the stairs and out the door.

Gasping for breath at the edge of the walk as if she'd just run a marathon, Sango closed her eyes and leaned heavily against a tree. The street was silent; no one was out during the day alone unless they had to be since the awful murders had started to take place. The green symbol on the door of her old house marked it as one visited by the killers. She stared at it as if hypnotized, thinking.

Turning away slowly, her outfit tied into an old scarf and her giant boomerang resting easily on her shoulder, she said quietly to Kirara, "Let's go." There was a soft mew in response and suddenly she was up in the air, Kirara's larger form beneath her. "Bye…" She called softly to the house, the life, the memories, the family she was leaving behind.

Somewhere deep inside her, Sango knew that she'd never come back again.

(•. •)

( )

"My my, we certainly have chosen an interesting place to live." Mrs. Higurashi noted as she sat on the couch in the living room. "Demons everywhere." She added by way of explanation. She glanced at Inuyasha and smiled. "Not that it's a bad thing."

"Well, now that you understand the situation." Miroku stood up and looked at the old woman. "And I doubt that this demon is anywhere nearly as friendly as Inuyasha or Shippo." The former smirked.

"What makes you say that?" Mrs. Higurashi asked. She believed in open-mindedness. Miroku looked at Kagome, who shifted in her seat rather uncomfortably. Inuyasha glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Kagome sensed an evil surrounding this demon," Miroku explained. "But senses none around Inuyasha or Shippo." Mrs. Higurashi looked at her daughter in surprise.

"Kagome?" The older woman asked in confusion. "What do you mean, 'sense'? Are you sure you just weren't uncomfortable around her because she was in the house uninvited?" The raven-haired girl shook her head fervently.

"It's this… feeling." She explained with difficulty. "Like, intuition. A first impression, but a lot clearer." She stopped, then suddenly snapped her fingers. "It's like eating food!"

The others in the room stared at her incredulously. "I mean, you can smell food before you eat it and know whether or not you like it without tasting it. I can tell what people are like without knowing them." She said. Mrs. Higurashi nodded slowly.

"How do you do this?" She was taking it all in stride. Kagome looked at Miroku for reassurance before answering and the violet-eyed man nodded in the affirmative.

"Miroku and Grandpa say that I'm a priestess." She shrugged and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, Inuyasha's words echoing in her head. "I don't like priestesses, nothing personal." She sighed slightly and glanced at the half-demon next to her, wondering why he'd said that to her.

"Mm." Mrs. Higurashi looked slightly troubled, then shook her head. "You'd best tell Grandpa." Miroku nodded and set off without the other two. Mr. Higurashi had taken a liking to him in a vague way because of his politeness and his background as a semi-monk.

Mrs. Higurashi got up and left the room, leaving Kagome alone with Inuyasha. There was a brief pause. "Hey." Inuyasha said finally. Kagome looked at him. "About the thing with the demon…"

"Yeah?" Kagome asked and tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear. "What about it?" She turned and looked at him full on in the face. Inuyasha's amber eyes looked troubled.

"I'm used to-was used to fighting demons." He said. Kagome nodded as she listened intently. "But I don't know… if the demon decides to attack, and I'm nothing but a little wisp of smoke…" he trailed off bitterly.

Kagome patted him on the arm. "Sango has been trained to exterminate demons since she was little." A strange occupation, actually, but in this case a very useful one.

"But she's never actually fought before." Inuyasha protested. "It's been ages since anyone's actually fought with a demon, I'd guess. No one knows first hand how to fight with them, how they fight. And that leaves us pretty defenseless." He frowned.

"There's Kirara," Kagome suggested, ever the optimist. Inuyasha shook his head wearily and looked at Kagome incredulously.

"If that demon decides to attack, then we're pretty much toast." He said bitterly. He'd never felt so helpless, except for the time that Kagome got lost and he couldn't find her. It was frustrating.

Kagome patted his arm again, still finding herself pleasantly surprised that she was able to. "I'm sure things will be fine." She smiled confidently. The hanyou looked at her with an unreadable expression.

"I hope so." He murmured. Despite her confident appearance, Kagome too was feeling worried. What **would** they do…?

(•. •)

( )

Miroku stood outside and looked up at the sky. It had almost been forty-five minutes since Sango had left. He knew that she said to get worried in an hour, but at the rate at which Kirara had been flying she should've been back after half an hour. But then again, she'd probably want to stay in the house for a bit to say goodbye.

The violet-eyed man started pacing in agitation and checked his watch again. Forty-seven minutes. Time crawled by so slowly when you were paying attention to it…

He looked up at the sky again and was relieved to see a black speck in the distance. It got bigger as it neared its destination and Miroku sighed. It was Kirara, all right. The cat wheeled around in circles as it lost altitude and landed on the ground. Sango got off her back quietly and avoided Miroku's gaze. She trudged back to the house, the small cat trailing behind her.

The purple-eyed man kept his distance in acknowledgement of Sango's feelings. She didn't seem to be very happy at the moment, and for good cause. She opened the sliding glass door and removed her shoes, walking slowly inside with the giant boomerang and her effects in tow. Miroku raised his eyebrows, impressed with the size of the weapon. It looked incredibly heavy.

Remembering his own advice, Miroku hurried inside and closed the door firmly after him, not that it would stop any demons… That is, any demons besides Shippo and Kirara.

(•. •)

( )

There was an ominous feeling in the air as they waited for night to fall, all of them sure that something was going to happen. Kagome went of in search of Shippo and Souta to make sure that they were aware about the demon situation, Inuyasha trailing behind her and mumbling something about "Safety". Miroku smiled in spite of the tense situation. Inuyasha was certainly devoted.

Sango stepped out of her room in her demon-exterminating outfit. Miroku's eyes went wide with surprise. Clean thoughts… Sango hefted Hiraikotsu warningly at him and Miroku averted his gaze slightly. Clean thoughts… Oh, who was he fooling?

Sango stared at him with narrowed eyes and brought one arm protectively over her chest where his gaze had been. "Clean thoughts." She reminded him. "Or your head will meet Hiraikotsu." Miroku nodded quickly and looked the other way.

Miroku paced for a moment in agitation and then suddenly remembered his one possession of value: the antique staff. It possessed holy powers and was a pretty good weapon in general. He hurried down the hallway and into his room to retrieve the staff.

He came back out into the hallway, stuffing ofuda spells and wards in his pockets as he went, the staff in one hand. He sat down on the floor and Sango joined him. "And now we wait." He said with a sigh. He hated waiting…

"We wait." Sango agreed. Kirara mewed on her shoulder in agreement.

(•. •)

( )

AN: No cliffie! For once… So, tell me whatcha think! Any tweaks necessary? Stupid mistakes? (like the name mix-up and when I made Inuyasha pick up anything even though he can't touch stuff?) OOC? Until next time…

Wow, I wrote twenty pages (on Microsoft Word) in two days… No wonder my head is spinning… Ach…


	12. A Confrontation

AN: Ugh… I feel like a tourist-idiot thing. I stole a bunch of maps of Japan off the Internet (And a picture of a fish just 'cause it was cool, and then I got sidetracked and found really cool pictures of nebulae on this NASA site called GRIN and they're the most beautiful things I have ever, ever seen. Truly, sincerely. Space things are pretty in general, like Neptune.) to make what I write more accurate and then I discovered they were all tourist maps, which makes sense since they were all in English because I can't read Japanese, and if a map of Japan is in English it seems likely that it is for tourists… I'm going in circles, aren't I? Well, I just feel kinda stupid now.

I realize that the ending to the last chapter was indeed some sort of cliffie. While not actually ending at the critical moment, it did pique curiosity and ended abruptly. (Sheepish grin) Well, I wasn't really sure how to end it, so I used a pseudo-cliffhanger. Sorry 'bout that, if anyone is miffed about it!

As usual, thanks for all the kind things that you've said about my story! (I feel entitled to say it because I'm really, truly grateful and they make me feel very happy! And flattered.)

Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I didn't own Inuyasha, but… Hey wait! I **do**! Whoa! What about that, huh?

…Ahem…

Okay, no I don't so you can't sue me.

Haunted

Chapter Twelve: A Confrontation

Night.

Kagura's scarlet eyes stared into the dark sky above. "Looks like I've got to be going." She said nonchalantly. The leaves rustled quietly in reply. She plummeted from the tree that she'd been sitting in and dropped onto her feather, soaring away on a powerful gust of wind.

Up, up she soared, delighting in the cool fingers of wind that tugged at her clothes and her hair, of the speed. The wind witch chuckled darkly. "Akutagawa, here I come!" Her words whipped past her as she sped through the air. It was ironic that the girl was living in her old house. The very last place she would've looked. A stray strand of curly black hair whipped into her face and she put it back up irritably.

Kagura wheeled around in a circle on her feather as she peered through the darkness and the cloud for her last home. She flew lower and lower until she was only about a hundred feet above the roof. She could kill everyone in an instant with the wave of her fan and be done with it. She frowned bitterly. But Naraku didn't want that.

Naraku was all about subtlety, of using others and manipulating things to his own advantage. So subtle she would be. She would enter the house through the big hole in the roof- she was still wondering where **that** had come from- and she'd sneak into the room and cut her throat, putting the green sign on the wall. She huffed slightly.

How petty. The green symbol didn't change anything. Why not just destroy the whole house and let the humans worry about it on their own? Of course, Naraku probably had some reason or other that he hadn't told her about. So she'd do it his way.

The wind witch circled lower and lower until her feather scraped gently on the roof. She hopped of delicately, her feet making nary a noise on the shingles and the white feather shrank to the size of her finger. She placed it in her hair and jumped through the hole, landing with the soft clattering of broken wood on the floor below.

Kagura took a step forward and winced as she hit another piece of wood. Didn't these people know how to clean up after themselves? Suddenly, the lights turned on, illuminating the room in the dingy orange glow of an old lamp that Kagura vaguely remembered installing herself.

"Thought that I'd be seeing you here." Kagura stared at the white-haired hanyou with a bored expression. Idly, she flapped open her fan.

"What's this, a welcoming committee? I didn't expect so many." She asked coolly and surveyed the people in the room. "Well then, I guess I have to introduce myself." She bowed mockingly. "Kagura, the wind witch." She glanced at the Akutagawa girl, ready and raring to go in full battledress, a black-haired man and the hanyou. The fight looked like it'd be over quickly enough…Suddenly the doors burst open and a black haired girl stumbled in with a young kitsune on her shoulder.

"Kagome!" The hanyou barked and turned. "I thought you'd promise to stay outside the door!" Kagura watched idly with minimal interest.

"No way am I going to just sit out there and wait until you guys are through!" The girl retorted. "I'm staying!" The black-haired fellow and the Akutagawa girl didn't move an inch and kept their focus on the wind-witch.

"We don't have time for this, Kagome!" The demi-demon said in exasperation. "You won't wait in your room, or the basement with everybody else, you won't even wait outside!" He glared at the girl, ears twitching irately. "I can't protect you and fight at the same time!"

"But there's three of you against one of her!" The Kagome girl protested. "I'll be fine." Kagura looked at the girl icily and raised her fan in the air.

"Don't underestimate me." She hissed and swiped the fan in the air. The dog demon took a running leap and grabbed the girl out of harm's way just in time.

"Just go wait outside!" He barked and turned his attention back to Kagura, not noticing that the black-haired girl stayed firmly in place, the little kitsune quaking on her shoulder, but mulishly glaring.

Kagura laughed in cold amusement. "And you think that you'll beat me!" She said arrogantly. "You can't even control one human girl!" The dog demon snarled and leaped at her, claws extended. The wind-witch barely moved out of the way in time. "A speedy one, are you?" she taunted.

"Damn straight." He came at her again and Kagura slashed at the air again with her fan. "Whoa!" He leaped up high into the air and dodged.

"Perfect." Kagura grinned and looked at the human girl. "You should've listened to the hanyou, girl!" She laughed. "But it's too late for that." The fan came down and Kagome closed her eyes tightly, anticipating the attack.

Suddenly a strong arm was around her waist and she was airborne. "Stupid girl!" Inuyasha said. "I can't fight like this! You're in the way!" Hiraikotsu whizzed by, narrowly missing Inuyasha's ear. "Hey, watch it Sango!"

The giant boomerang twirled through the air and returned to the exterminator. "You watch it!" She retorted and threw the weapon again. Smoothly, the wind-witch moved to the side and made another swipe with her fan. "Kirara!" Sango called, and she was airborne, swooping across the high ceiling.

Miroku came at her from behind and struck at her with his staff, determination written over his face. Kagura moved to the side and her fan went hissing by his ear. It came at him again, barely missing his shoulder.

Inuyasha tucked Kagome and Shippo behind a shelf and told them both firmly, "Don't come out!" He stared deeply into Kagome's eyes. "I mean it!" he growled. Kagome nodded and Inuyasha leaped over the shelf and back to the fight.

She watched anxiously as Kagura sent powerful gusts of wind at one, then another of her friends. She chewed her lip as the wind-witch came in inches of Sango, then Miroku, and- she gasped as Inuyasha knocked Miroku out of the way and took the blow himself.

Kagura grinned. "Hit!" She said cheerfully. She strode purposefully towards the still form of the hanyou, her fan raised.

"NO!" Kagura froze in surprise, fan still raised above her head. The girl, Kagome, was standing in front of the prostrate hanyou, arms out as if to stop her and waving a large chunk of wood.

"…Girl," Kagura sighed and put the fan down with a snap. "What are you doing?" She asked tiredly. It was almost funny. Miroku sat up a few feet away, where Inuyasha had pushed him.

"Stay away!" Kagome stared fiercely at the wind-witch. "Don't come closer!" behind her, Shippo was shaking Inuyasha.

Kagura sighed and raised her fan again, moving calmly to the side without even turning around as the giant boomerang came crashing into the floor where she'd been standing moments ago. "Then you'll just die with him." She lowered the fan in an arc and the deadly blades of wind sped closer. Kagome stayed as she was, eyes squeezed shut.

"NO!" Kagome said stubbornly. But the wind never hit. She was airborne again, safe in Inuyasha's grasp. "You're bleeding!" She exclaimed and pressed her hand against a bloody gash on his chest.

Hiraikotsu swung by again. "Ooh, close. A near miss. Well, you're better than your father, I'll give you that." Kagura's voice echoed mockingly. "And your younger brother was just a pushover." She added smugly.

"**YOU**!" Sango screamed in anger. "**ARE DEAD**!" Kagura laughed mockingly and moved out of the giant boomerang's path.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried in concern. "You're cut up everywhere!" She stared in horror at the long gash on his shoulder.

"I'm fine!" He snarled. "And don't you ever, **ever** do that again!" Kagome's eyes stung as she looked up at him, his eyes still on the enemy.

"I was just trying to help," She explained. She'd never felt so useless, hiding in the corner like that… She was a burden, out of place, just something that got in the way… kind of like his sword. The hilt of the old sword he always wore swung around and hit her in the face. She was absolutely useless.

"No! Don't cry!" Inuyasha said frantically as he landed behind the shelves and put Kagome back on her feet. Kagome wiped her eyes. "What I mean was, you're not supposed to protect me!" He said gruffly. He was the half-demon, after all, and she the weak human girl. "I'm supposed to protect you!" He placed a hand on her shoulder firmly. "Now **stay here**!" He said. He leaped back into the air and looked back at her once. "I mean it!"

Kagome nodded wordlessly. "Well, that was different." Shippo commented from his perch on her shoulder. "Normally he's all mean about it." Kagome nodded again, still surprised.

"Still alive, dog?" The wind-witch taunted and sent a barrage of wind at him. "Hah!" She grinned. He was stuck this time, in midair, her blades heading straight for him… "What?"

The hanyou was holding the scabbard of the old sword he was wearing out in front of him. At her surprise, Inuyasha smirked. "You're not the only one with a few tricks up your sleeves." He said and charged, completely unaffected.

Kagura swiped at him with her fan as he went by but he leaped back, out of reach. He whipped the old sword out and hit her in the back with it. The wind-witch winced and flexed her back. She grinned and looked at him. "Too bad that sword's about as sharp as a chunk of old wood!" She gloated. "You really are useless, aren't you?" She turned to the shelf. "You can't even keep one girl safe…" She cut at the air with her fan.

"KAGOME!" In a flash he was there, the sword still in hand. "No!" He said sharply, sword in hand as he face the onslaught. "You're not hurting Kagome!" There was a flash.

Kagura blinked the spots out of her eyes. "What?" She asked, startled. The hanyou was still there, intact. But the most surprising thing was that he was no longer holding the old rusty sword. In his hand, was… "A fang?" Kagura blinked, puzzled, And then something hit her in the back and there was a searing pain.

"That's for my family!" Sango's shout echoed in the room. "And this…" She caught the formidable weapon in one hand and threw it off again with deadly precision."-is for all the others that you've killed!" The boomerang whizzed by again and the wind-witch barely got out of the way in time. The others rushed forward to finish off the attack. Stumbling, Kagura pulled the feather out of her hair and scrambled onto it, up and away before any of them could blink.

"Come back here!" Kagura rose higher on the feather and through the hole in the roof and Inuyasha leaped after her. You're running away!" He taunted.

"We'll continue this another time," Kagura promised, scarlet eyes staring down at the group. She flew through the hole in the roof, Inuyasha following. He put his foot down on the roof and leaped up desperately.

"Gotcha!" But his hand went through the feather. "What!" He exclaimed as Kagura rushed away. "But I-" He stared at his hand incredulously. He growled and tried to bang his fist against the roof. It didn't work. "Damn it!" Wearily, he drifted back through the hole in the roof.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome's voice rang out, slightly panicky. Inuyasha floated down until he was a few inches off the ground, his expression unreadable. Kagome rushed out from behind the bookshelves and ran towards him. "What happened?"

He shrugged wordlessly. "I'm back to normal." He said and looked down at his feet that hovered a few inches above the floor. Kagome nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry." She sighed. He looked at her rather sharply. Sango was sitting in the corner and petting Kirara absently, a faraway look in her eyes. Miroku rubbed the back of his head and winced.

"Sorry for what?" he asked. "It's not your fault." He shrugged and looked at the sword in his hand. Again, it was a rusty chunk of metal. He put it back in its sheath with a sigh of disappointment. He hadn't even gotten to use it…

Miroku wandered up, still rubbing his head. "Inuyasha, about your sword…" He trailed off and looked at the scabbard. "Has it always been able to do that?" He asked curiously.

"It's never done that before." Inuyasha pulled the old blade out again. "It's just a rusty old chunk of metal again." He sighed and waved it in the air.

"It's curious that the sword became… all…" Miroku struggled for the appropriate description. "…immaterial like you." He decided. The poltergeist nodded absently. "And I believe I understand what's going on with you and that spell."

Inuyasha looked up with interest. "Really?" He asked. Maybe Miroku could take it off of him. The purple-eyed man nodded thoughtfully.

"Is it just me, or were you all grey yesterday?" Inuyasha inspected his sleeve with mild interest. It was now grey with a tint of red, like an old and faded photograph.

"There's more…" Kagome murmured. Miroku looked at her sharply with a frown. Sango got up on the other side of the room wearily and walked over to the others.

"More?" He asked sharply. "You mean that he was showing bits of color before now?" Kagome nodded and patted Sango on the shoulder sympathetically, unsure of what she could say to the poor girl.

"Earlier today, after Kouga left." At the mention of the wolf-demon's name, Inuyasha's frown deepened. "He was tinged in color." Miroku nodded.

"Wait a moment." The poltergeist interrupted. "Kagome," The black-haired girl looked up at him. "You said that Kagura knows Kouga, right?" Kagome nodded slowly, unsure of what he was aiming at. "Well, he knows where we live and he could've sent her to kill us!"

The others shook their heads at him. "Why?" Sango asked quietly. "That doesn't make sense. And why would she kill my family if she was working for Kouga?" She sighed heavily and Kagome patted her on the arm again.

"Feh." Inuyasha replied stubbornly, arms crossed over his chest. "Because he's a blood-thirsty beast!" Kagome shook her head as Inuyasha clung stubbornly to his theory.

"Now, about your spell," Miroku began and Inuyasha stopped thinking about Kouga immediately. "Why don't we clean up and talk in the living room?" Inuyasha sighed impatiently as Sango nodded quietly and Kagome agreed heartily, Shippo still sitting on her shoulder.

None of them speaking, they left the room and went their separate ways, Kagome to her room, Sango to hers and Miroku to his, leaving Inuyasha to wander around the house. He went through the floor and sank down to the basement. "You can all come out now!" He said loudly, and not waiting for a reply, he floated up again.

He went directly into the living room and sat moodily two feet in the air. "Ugh." He stared at his hands in self-disgust. He hated being a poltergeist. And he was sure that Kagura would be back sometime in the near future. He couldn't do anything the way he was at present. He clenched his fists tightly. Kagome hurried down the stairs and sat down on the couch. Silence stretched between them. "I'm sorry." Kagome said at last. Inuyasha glanced at her. "I made a mess of things, didn't I?" She asked bitterly.

"Huh?" He folded his hands in his lap. "You didn't change anything." He said grudgingly. It was the truth.

"I wish that I could help in some way…" She trailed off, then sat up straight and grinned. "I know a bit of archery!" She looked at him in delight. "And I'm not half bad!" She added smugly.

"Arrows won't do much damage to demons." Inuyasha said and Kagome slumped on the couch again. "Unless they hit right." He'd seen it happen before.

"Oh." Kagome sighed. Miroku came down the stairs next, hair damp from a quick shower. He joined Kagome on the couch. A few moments later, Sango came down with a calm expression on her face and Kirara on her shoulder.

"So," Miroku began. "Who wants food?" He stood up and headed for the kitchen. Inuyasha sighed heavily. Trust Miroku to draw things out.

"I'm fine." Kagome said quickly, a similar sentiment said by Sango. Obviously they felt the same way as Inuyasha.

Miroku sat down again and stretched. "That fight was very interesting." He said. "I'm surprised I came out alive." Inuyasha huffed and the others stared at him impatiently.

"Just say it already!" Inuyasha finally burst out as Miroku rambled on. The violet-eyed man sighed and nodded. They waited as Miroku paused, then sneezed.

"Excuse me. Now, about the spell," He sneezed again. "Excuse me." He repeated. "About the spell. I think that I know what's been effecting it." The others waited impatiently as Miroku paused. "Now, we've narrowed it down to being something new here, an object from the Higurashi's shrine perhaps." They listened intently. "But Inuyasha, when did you turn solid today? Can you tell me what happened?"

The half-demon nodded. "I was trying to move off the property but I couldn't, and then Kagome fell down the hill." He looked at her pointedly with a frown. Kagome glared back. "And she hit the bottom and broke the fence." He shifted uncomfortably. "And I thought she was hurt badly because she didn't respond when I said her name, so I grabbed her shoulder and shook her." Neither of them mentioned his hand cradling the side of her face.

"Ah." Miroku nodded. "And you reverted back when you went after Kagura." He thought for a moment. "Inuyasha, since you became alive, did you at any time leave Kagome's side?"

"What does **that** have to do with anything?" The poltergeist growled, cheeks flushing slightly. Miroku put his hands up in a placating gesture.

"Because I need to know." He said firmly. "It might be important." Inuyasha grumbled for a moment, ears twitching irately before he answered grudgingly.

"Not really, if she was standing right outside that door the whole time." He sent a sideways glance at the black-haired girl, who shook her head. "Then I didn't."

"But when you **did** and chased Kagura, you reverted." Miroku said triumphantly. Inuyasha frowned and looked at Kagome again. She had a confused expression on her face.

"You're saying that Kagome has been countering the spell somehow?" he asked in surprise. "But then what made me turn alive all of a sudden when she was unconscious?" They watched Miroku intently. He seemed to have the answers to everything.

"I would say your concern for Kagome made the spell temporarily inactive. First, you strain the spell by trying to pass the boundary, which weakened it, and then your emotions flooded it. When you left her side, the spell was strong enough again to reactivate." He nodded sagely.

Sango watched him carefully. "You certainly seem to know a lot about these sorts of things." She said with a seemingly careless shrug. Miroku looked at her with ease.

"I did my research." He replied. "And my foster father-" A crooked grin broke out on his face at the thought of the old man. "- was interested in that sort of stuff." He looked back at Inuyasha.

"Do you remember how the spell was laid?" he asked unconcernedly. They were all surprised by Inuyasha reaction. The color seemed to drain from him slightly and he stared at the floor, his entire body tense.

"Oh, I remember." He murmured softly. He remembered only too well. The urn, the demon, the priestess…

"Can you tell me?" Miroku asked cautiously. "If I know, I might be able to find some means of lifting it." Inuyasha looked at him with hard grey eyes. Miroku tensed slightly. Only a moment ago, they'd been tinted gold…

"A powerful priestess tricked me into helping her, and stuck me in a gods damned bottle afterwards." He snarled and stalked out of the room. The others sat around the living room in various states of shock.

"Tea, anyone?" Miroku finally asked and wandered into the kitchen. He filled up the kettle and rummaged through a cabinet.

"I'd love some." Sango replied dazedly. "What kind?" She asked and went into the kitchen. Kagome stayed on the couch and thought.

"Any kind." Miroku replied fervently.

(•.•)

( • )

"Kagura, Kagura." Naraku's voice echoed coldly in her mind. "I am **not** pleased." She gasped as something in her chest –something that should've been in her chest- contracted, making it hard to breathe. Her vision blacked slightly and then restored itself as the pressure eased off. "Thrice you have failed me in the past month alone."

"Don't expect me to grovel." Kagura spat, leaning heavily on the wall of the tunnel. She knew it was a bad thing to say when the ambience of Naraku's consciousness gained a cold ruthlessness. It was directed at her.

"No more mistakes." She gasped as he squeezed her heart again. "And you can drop the arrogant tone. You are but a separate piece of me, not an individual. You are not independent. You are mine. Mine to control, to use." The voice banged the words coldly in her head and the wind witch felt herself succumb to the mantra.

"…Yes…" She replied dully in spite of herself. "I… understand…" She was somewhere, locked deep inside as another spoke words through her mouth. "No!" She protested, pounding against the walls of her mental prison. "I won't listen to you!" But no words came out of her mouth and there was no play of expression on her face. "Master Naraku."

There was a malicious satisfaction to Naraku's reply. "I'm glad to see that we've reached an understanding." Inside, she raged and screamed at him, but said nothing. "Go once more. I have other jobs that need to be done."

Kagura nodded curtly and walked slowly out of the tunnel, her teeth grinding together in pent-up fury. As soon as she was out of his mental range, she spat one word, scarlet eyes glittering in the cold of the night as she soared away on her feather.

"Bastard."

(•. •)

( )

"Look at this!"

Souta waved Shippo over excitedly. The two of them peered into the box avidly, identical grins breaking out on their faces. They looked at each other, then back at the box. It was better than the bubble wrap, better than all the cardboard boxes. It was their own kind of Holy Grail. The two boys stared in awe at the contents of the box. Shippo turned to Souta. "Let's see if there's any more!"

They rummaged through all the boxes they hadn't explored yet. Shippo gave a cheer. "I found some more!" He put the box carefully on the ground and opened the one beneath it. "And some more!" He grinned like a maniac.

"Me too!" Souta laughed. "These are so cool!" The searched through all the boxes and placed them in a large pile in the middle of the room. "That's a lot." Souta observed as they stood back to inspect their work.

"…Yeah." Shippo agreed. He turned to the older boy. "Wait! Get the fan!" Souta looked at him with wide eyes. "Imagine what we could do with all these and that wind…" His green eyes glittered.

"Yes!" Souta ran out of the room. "Mom! Where's the big fan?" He shouted. Mothers always knew where everything was. He ran back into the room and grabbed Shippo's hand. "Come on!"

They had found the packing peanuts.

(0.0)

( )

"So everyone's okay?" Mrs. Higurashi asked again. They nodded. "And where is Inuyasha?" She asked. Kagome shrugged and Miroku looked uneasy. Sango had retreated into the solitude of her own room to think. The older woman sighed. "I don't like it." She admitted. "Having you three fight off demons when it's my house."

Miroku assured her hastily. "No, it's all right. Sango has trained for it, I know a bit about demons and spells, and Inuyasha had to fight them for survival." He smiled reassuringly and Mrs. Higurashi nodded slowly before looking sharply at her daughter.

"And why were you there?" She asked. "I thought you were staying in the basement, Kagome. You never mentioned fighting demons." She looked at her inscrutably and Kagome shifted uncomfortably.

Miroku broke in smoothly, an answer on the tip of his tongue. "Kagome was there for Inuyasha." He said quickly. "When Inuyasha gets out of range of Kagome's aura, he becomes spectral again." Mrs. Higurashi looked at him in surprise.

"Really?" She asked in surprise. Kagome sighed in relief. She was sure that her mother was going to tell her off for being stupid and reckless. "How does that work?"

"Kagome posses strong spiritual powers." Kagome looked at him in surprise. "She keeps the effects of Inuyasha's spell at bay, merely by being near him. It requires no effort on her part, actually." Sensing the point of the mother's distress, he added, "And Inuyasha protected Kagome with his life. She came to no harm." He didn't mention the time when she ran out of hiding to stand as a weak barrier between Inuyasha and death.

"Hm," Mrs. Higurashi stared off into the distance for a moment. She turned back to the two of them with a cheerful smile. "Well, I've got to go to bed." She stood up and walked out of the living room.

"I think she took that rather well." Miroku commented. Kagome looked at him with slight awe. "What?" The purple-eyed man noticed her gaze.

"I was sure that she'd get upset for being there. How did you do that?" The black-haired girl looked at him in fascination.

"Do what?" Miroku asked innocently. "All I did was tell her what happened." Kagome sighed and stood up with a yawn. "Goodnight." Miroku said.

"G'night." Kagome yawned again and wandered upstairs to bed. Miroku sat on the couch by himself for a moment, thinking. Inuyasha's explanation of how he'd become a poltergeist was bothering him. And weren't poltergeists supposed to be mischief-makers, supernatural spirits that reveal their presences by knocking things over and disturbing normal life?

It didn't match Inuyasha's description. Although he didn't know much about ghosts and the folklore surrounding the supernatural- he was a demon expert, of course- in his research he came across some references to such beings. As far as he'd heard, they didn't change color or become solid, ever. No, Inuyasha wasn't a poltergeist. Miroku smiled thinly.

"A powerful priestess tricked me into helping her, and stuck me in a gods damned bottle afterwards", he'd said. Not very descriptive, but it helped. Inuyasha had been spelled into a bottle, which he'd been primarily sleeping in until Kagome came around and he became interested in life again.

As far as his limited knowledge on the subject led him to believe, one couldn't curse someone into being a poltergeist. But then again, the stories he'd come across had been merely folklore, nothing more, and his knowledge was very limited.

Miroku yawned and rubbed his purple eyes. He raised his eyebrows at the time that the clock on the wall proudly presented. "Twelve already?" He murmured to himself. "But how time flies…" He yawned again and headed up the stairs, intent on a good nights sleep after all the exercise and adrenaline that he'd experienced.

"I wonder if Inuyasha ever has the inexplicable urge to knock things over… that would prove it…" He collapsed on his bed and fell deeply asleep.

(•. •)

( )

"Souta, I said not now." Mrs. Higurashi said firmly as the young boy tried to wheedle his mother into letting him stay up later with Shippo. "And I meant it. Now go to sleep. You too, Shippo." The small kitsune looked at her with large green eyes. "Scat!" She said good-naturedly.

"Mom!" Souta complained. "Please! Just five more minutes! That's all I'm asking!" He said sincerely as he clung to the wall.

"Souta, I said no. Do you know what time it is?" The black-haired boy's mother looked at him, on the verge of exasperation. "Almost twelve! You can continue whatever it is you're doing tomorrow." The older woman said again firmly. She rubbed her eyes. "Souta, Shippo, now."

The two boys sighed huffily and exchanged rebellious glances. "Fine." Souta grumbled, the younger fox-demon following his lead. Feeling slightly relieved, Mrs. Higurashi plodded down the hallway to her room without a second glance at the two boys.

Making sure that no one was the wiser, Shippo and Souta headed back into the room and shut the door quietly behind them. "Okay, all the bubble wrap over in that corner." Shippo indicated the left side of the room. "And then we'll put all the boxes there with it, and then we can put all these squishy things-" He picked up a packing peanut. "- all over the floor!" He finished exuberantly.

"This is gonna be so cool!" Souta grinned and started grabbing the bubble wrap by the armful, kicking a box to the left side of the room as he did so. He put the stuff down and yawned widely, blinking. Stubbornly, he shook his head and walked to a pile of boxes. He picked them up and moved them to the left corner. The black-haired boy yawned again.

Shippo looked at him with bleary eyes. "Maybe this can wait for tomorrow…" He said hesitantly. Souta nodded reluctantly in agreement and yawned again in spite of himself.

"…I think you're right…" He admitted and yawned yet again. They left the room, a stack of boxes on one side and a mess of packing paper and bubble wrap on the other. The door closed gently and the lights were turned off, leaving the room to be illuminated by moonlight that shone through the window.

There was a gentle breeze that rustled the leaves of the tree outside and a spectral figure floated into the room. Inuyasha drifted a few inches above the ground on the floor, looking at the room with a grudging sense of longing. He wavered for a moment, then moved slowly towards the stack of boxes.

There was sign of an internal struggle and a rather wicked gleam entered the poltergeist's eyes. They flashed yellow, gleaming in the darkness for a moment and he blew gently on the boxes. They toppled over and he grinned, then wandered over to the window. Full moon. Inuyasha sighed. That explained it. He wanted to cause mischief, bounce through the halls of the house and set off smoke detectors, turn on taps and flush toilets, rattle things. How embarrassing. And he really, really wanted to knock over another box. They were just sitting there, waiting for him…

Thump.

Cackle.

(•. •)

( )

The next morning…

Shippo and Souta ran into "their room", as they thought of it right after breakfast. The door creaked open slowly as the two boys gaped at the mess. "What happened?" Souta wondered.

There were boxes strewn about the floor and bubble wrap was thrown around the room. The boxes of packing peanuts were safe, but everything else was in complete disarray. The neat tower of boxes that the two boys had taken so much pride in was gone, thrown about the room as if someone had come in and pushed them over violently. "Who would…?" Souta stared at the mess in horror.

"Damn!" Shippo swore and his companion looked at him in surprise. "Now we have to do it all over again!"He trotted over to the mess of boxes and started placing them upright. "Come on!" Souta nodded and hurried over.

The two of them spent the most of the day industrially as they cleaned up the mess left by a certain poltergeist.

(•. •)

( )

"Hello, is Kagome there?" Mr. Higurashi looked at the brown-haired boy in perplexity. He scratched his head and opened the front door a little wider.

"Who are you?" He asked. He'd never seen the boy before, as far as he could remember. The boy smiled politely and offered his hand.

"I'm Hojo, from Kagome's old school in Tokyo." Mr. Higurashi shook the offered hand briskly. "I was wondering if I could talk to Kagome."

"Ah yes, she's home." The senior nodded. "Nice to meet you." He added. "I'm Kagome's grandfather." Hojo smiled and nodded. "Come in." He moved aside and opened the door wider. The old man closed the door after the brown-haired boy and called to his granddaughter. "Kagome! You have a visitor!"

Hojo looked around the house in interest. He'd only been in it once before, about two weeks ago. A black-haired man peered around the corner of the staircase. "Kagome?" The old man nodded. "She's outside with-" He stopped as he noticed Hojo. As a group, they'd decided that no one else should meet Inuyasha. Gossip gets around, after all. "-with the trees and the flowers." He finished smoothly.

Mr. Higurashi nodded. "In the garden," He said to Hojo. "I'll go get her." He went through the living room and opened up the door. "Kagome!" He called.

"-want to talk about it!" Inuyasha snapped. "My past is no concern of yours." His ears twitched and he whirled upon the senior in surprise. "HEY-" He noticed Hojo and disappeared with a large puff of black smoke and a loud bang, leaving a surprised Kagome with some foul-smelling smoke and a confused prospective boyfriend.

Hojo jogged out across the lawn so carefully tended by Mrs. Higurashi and towards Kagome, who was coughing a bit. "Higurashi! Are you alright?" He asked in concern. Kagome nodded and looked about in confusion.

"Fine." She coughed a bit and stood up. Unnoticed by the pair, golden eyes flashed as Hojo patted her on the back when she continued to cough. Kagome moved away out of the smoke, Hojo a respectful distance away. "Sorry about that." She apologized.

"Oh, no trouble at all." Hojo replied with a smile. "Are you sure you're okay?" He checked. Kagome nodded and they walked back up to the house. "Higurashi," Hojo began.

"What is it?" Kagome asked, staring at the ground in anticipation of his question. There was another bang and they whirled in surprise, just in time to watch a cloud of black smoke dissipate in the breeze.

"What was that?" Hojo asked in alarm. Kagome shrugged uneasily, unsure of how to answer. "That sort of thing is dangerous," Hojo noted disapprovingly. "Someone could get hurt." Kagome looked at him in surprise. He didn't even know what it was… "Oh, yes. I was wondering if you'd like to go see a movie sometime. Tomorrow, maybe?" He asked, hope shining in his brown eyes.

"I don't know…" Kagome said uncertainly. "I think I'm busy." Hojo nodded, looking slightly disappointed. "Maybe some other time, then?" Kagome said, feeling bad about turning him down after he'd come all the way down to visit her.

"Oh, okay." He smiled. They walked back to the house in silence, the grass swishing against their shoes. "Say, Higurashi," the brown-haired boy said hesitantly after a moment's silence. "I know this sounds a bit weird, but was there a strange grey guy floating next to you, or was that just me?" He laughed nervously. Kagome stopped abruptly, and Hojo kept walking until he realized that she wasn't there. "Higurashi? Are you all right?"

"Fine." Kagome replied quickly and caught up to him. "There was a rock in my shoe." She lied, and he believed her. He was so trusting and oblivious… "About that guy…" Hojo looked at her anxiously. "I guess it was just a trick of the light, because there was no one next to me." She lied blatantly, knowing that he'd eat up every word without doubt.

"Oh," He said doubtfully. "Well, there were some strange shadows under the tree." He looked at the ground uncertainly. "You're probably right." He shrugged it off and turned to her as they reached the back door. "Well, I've gotta be going." He smiled. Kagome looked at him in surprise.

"Did you drive all the way down here just to stay for twenty minutes?" She asked incredulously. Now she felt bad… "That's a six-hour drive, one way!" Talk about dedication…

"Oh, no." He shook his head at her and laughed lightly. "I'm staying with my aunt for a few days while my parents are in Hokkaido."

"Ooh." Kagome said appreciatively. She may not like Hojo as she used to, but she could still be friends with him. "Where in Hokkaido?"

"They're going to Otaru, then Chitose. I think they're visiting Lake Shikotsu, too." Hojo smiled and Kagome could understand why she and other girls fell over him. But now, she was impervious to his accidental charm and the face than kept popping into her mind was not his, but of… she concentrated on what Hojo was saying. "-so they dropped me off here to stay with my aunt and uncle."

Kagome nodded even though she hadn't a clue as to what he was talking about. "I see." She said solemnly, noticing a black smoke curling around the plants by the side of the house. The thick foul stuff was charged with little bolts of electricity. "So how long are you staying in town?" She asked, not really interested. She was more worried about the familiar presence that she could feel lurking nearby, and she knew that he was absolutely furious.

"About a week, but my parents as I said before are going to be gone for three. After a week here, I'll be back in Tokyo with some friends, then my other aunts house." He nodded. "Well, I've got to be going!" he smiled cheerfully and waved. "See you around, Higurashi!" Kagome waved and smiled a false smile, her eyes darting nervously to the side of the house as Hojo walked through the gate and out of the Higurashi property.

"Bye Hojo!" She called behind him and then hurried away from the house. From the feelings she was getting from Inuyasha, he might do more than blow a little black smoke around. She noticed with a slight grimace that some of the more delicate plants were starting to wither due to the smog.

"Wait, Higurashi!" Hojo's voice rang out from behind her and she whirled around in surprise. Inuyasha was floating in the path, the black smoke blowing around him in a wind that seemed to come from nowhere. "I just want to talk." Hojo's voice came from Inuyasha's mouth, a perfect replica but a little whiny.

"Inuyasha, cut it out." Kagome said sharply. She wasn't particularly fond of Hojo herself, anymore, but just because he didn't like the schoolboy didn't mean he had to insult him.

"Me!" The poltergeist asked incredulously. "**Me**!" He laughed briefly, bitterly. "I'm not the one who's egging on every guy who just happens to come by!" He snarled. "You just sit there and suck it all up, batting your eyes like the idiot you are and smiling that stupid dopey smile!" The strange wind had become somewhat of a miniature tempest, swirling around Inuyasha and tossing his white hair around.

"I do not!" Kagome wasn't intimidated in the least, not yet. "I can't believe you! I have one conversation with a guy from my old school, who just dropped by to say hi because I haven't seen him in a long time-" Inuyasha snorted and sparks flickered throughout the thick black smoke coiling around the ground. "-and you start calling me a slut!"

"I didn't call you a slut!" Color started to brighten the poltergeist's appearance. "But now that you mention it…" He let the sentence hang in the air as he glared at her with bright golden eyes that smoldered with anger.

"There we go!" Kagome pointed at him accusingly. "What did I tell you! And **what** is your **problem**? It's not like I was doing anything! I was just being **polite**! Or am I not allowed to do that anymore? If it was up to **you**, I would sit at home, locked up in cage without any human contact!" She glared at him angrily. "You're so stupid!"

"**I'm** stupid!" Inuyasha yelled back. "Don't pretend you didn't notice the way he was looking at you! And he even asked you out! And you say there was nothing going on but friendliness." His words dripped with venom. "You're the stupid one, not me!"

"There's nothing between us!" Kagome screamed. "I told him **no**! **You're** the stupid one!" The smoke curled around her waist and little sparks swirled around her legs, but didn't sting.

"YOU TOLD HIM LATER!" Inuyasha howled back. "NOT NO! AND I MAY BE AN IDIOT, BUT YOU'RE MORE OF ONE!"

"YOU'RE SO STUPID!" Kagome screamed loudly, tears of anger starting to well up in her eyes. "I told him I was busy! I'm not busy! I'm **never** busy!"

"So why didn't you just say no!" Inuyasha snarled. The winds around him were dispersing the smoke as they whirled faster and faster around him, tugging fiercely at his bright red clothing and his snow-colored hair.

"Because that's mean, and he's nice! I'm not a rude, inconsiderate, dog-breathed, **jerk**!" She yelled, a tear spilling down her cheek. But she was too angry and caught up in her fury to notice.

"Stop crying!" Inuyasha shouted back, eyes taking on a slightly alarmed look. "And I'm not a jerk! You're an idiot!" Unnoticed by the pair, Miroku peered out the nearest window and sighed. Not the idiot argument again… Arguments between Inuyasha and Kagome always narrowed down to whom was the bigger idiot.

"I'm not crying!" Kagome protested hotly. "And **you're stupid**!" She spat vehemently. "What is your problem?"

"**I'm** not the one with a problem!" Inuyasha retorted furiously. "You're the one who keeps encouraging them! You've got Kouga chasing after you, and this guy! Tell them to go away!" Kagome stopped dead.

"Are you jealous?" She asked, all traces of anger gone from her voice, but not her eyes. Inuyasha spluttered indignantly before managing to say something intelligible.

"NO! You're an idiot!" Miroku sighed and moved away from the window. Inuyasha seemed to have a fascination with the word and concept of "idiot". Next to him, Sango rolled her eyes, the pulled Hiraikotsu away from the wall where it was resting next to her and whapped Miroku on the head.

"Hands off!" She hissed. "Clean thoughts, clean actions!" Purple eyes unfocused, Miroku waved a hand at her vaguely and wandered over to the couch to sit down.

"JUST GO AWAY!" Kagome screamed outside. "I HATE YOU!" Sango raised her eyebrows in interest and Miroku stumbled off the couch to peer out of the window again.

"WHAT!" Inuyasha shouted, spewing black smoke and whirling winds at a faster rate. "Why, you-" He was cut short by Kagome's angry scream.

"GO AWAY!" She pointed at the forest. "JUST GO!" There were tears in her eyes, one or two rolling down her face to disappear into the smoke.

Unsure of what to do, Inuyasha just glared at her and disappeared with the booming of thunder and a bright light, presumably lightning. "Kagome!" Sango slammed open the window and stuck her head out. "Are you all right?"

"Mad." Kagome said, the anger very evident in her voice. "Really mad." She sniffed fiercely and scrubbed at her eyes. She stomped through the door on the other side of the house and stalked into the living room, trailing the metallic tang of Inuyasha's smoke with her. She sniffed and sneezed. "I hate him!" She burst out as she rushed across the room.

(•. •)

( )

A white ear twitched. "I hate him!" Inuyasha growled softly, amber flashing in his eyes. "Feh." It was all her fault, after all. She was the one who was encouraging the boy to come back, making him hopeful, playing hard to get. "That idiot." He grumbled, the black smoke around him starting to dissipate in the air, the little bolts of electricity becoming infrequent.

"Well, she better not expect me to feel bad about it." He decided. The leaves of the tree he was floating next to rustled quietly in reply. "I didn't do anything wrong." But there was uncertainty in his voice. She had been crying… so maybe it was his fault after all… He huffed to himself and shook his head. Kagome always confused him. "How is 'maybe later' the same thing as 'no'?" He growled again as a wisp of black smoke puffed up into his face. "Kagome, you idiot…"

He couldn't get her out of his head.

(•. •)

( )

"Again?" Shippo asked in exasperation. "Can't they ever talk things over like normal people?" Miroku looked at the kitsune pointedly. "Good point." Shippo sighed. "But they're always fighting!" And when Kagome was mad like she was every time after fighting with Inuyasha, you stayed out of her way.

"Toast, anyone?" Sango set the plate down on the dining room table. Miroku winced slightly. "What?" The demon exterminator asked.

"It's a bit… burnt." He commented dryly. Sango blushed in embarrassment as Shippo and Souta poked dubiously at the blackened bread.

"Well, I got a bit sidetracked with all that smoke that came in through the window that **you** left open." She looked at Miroku reproachfully. He grinned and put his hands up placatingly.

"True," He admitted. As a gesture of peace, he picked up a slice of the blackened bread and gingerly bit into it. "Not… bad." He managed. "Very, very crunchy and burnt-tasting." He added. Sango was starting to wonder if he'd been aiming at becoming a food critic.

Following the purple-eyed man's example, the two boys each picked up a piece of toast and tried it for themselves. They crunched in silence for a moment, crumbs dropping over the table as they chewed. Sango waited in silence for their opinion. "Weird." Shippo said after a moment's silence. "Who has toast for lunch?" He wondered aloud.

Souta took another humongous bite and scattered crumbs everywhere. "I like burnt toast." He explained over a mouthful of the stuff. "It's good." Sango nodded wordlessly. She personally wasn't fond of the stuff.

"Oh, dear." Mrs. Higurashi slid open the back door with a regretful sigh. "I think that Inuyasha killed about a fourth of my plants out there." Sango raised her eyebrows, impressed.

"With that smoke?" She asked. The older woman nodded with a small smile. "I hate that stuff…" She muttered to herself. Miroku grinned at her. "What's so funny?"

"Sometimes I get the distinct impression that he does that simply to annoy you." It was a very poltergeist-ish activity. Sango sighed and shook her head.

"Those two…" Everyone around the table nodded in agreement.

(•.•)

( • )

Kagome flopped back on her bed, a moody frown on her face. "Ugh…" Inuyasha was so dense sometimes. Couldn't he see that she was pushing Hojo away? And Kouga, too! He'd asked her out, grabbed her hands. She pulled away, said no. What more did he want her to do? Spit in their faces and tell them to go to hell? She laughed quietly in spite of her self. It sounded about right, and she could imagine doing it too… They'd be so surprised, Hojo hurt, Kouga bemused.

But if it was up to Inuyasha, she'd stay home all day and sit around with him. He grumbled every time she left the property. She had half a mind to go back to Tokyo for a few days and visit her old friends just to spite him. Eri had suggested it a few days ago when she called to talk. She could get a ride from her mom, maybe and then stay at her house for a few days. It'd be great to see her old friends again. She hadn't spoken to Yuka for two weeks and Ayumi for three and a half. "Maybe I will go…" She pondered aloud. "But I'd have to convince Mom to take me… Four-hour drive, after all…" She sighed and closed her eyes. She was tired. Maybe she'd sleep on it and decide later.

Kagome breathed in deeply, black hair tossed around her face, unaware of a certain half-demon poltergeist's presence outside her bedroom window. He peered in the room through the windowpanes curiously, then moved on.

(0.0)

( )

AN: NOT A CLIFFIE! YES! Okay. I did it. NO cliffhanger. …. Took a lot of brainpower, dontcha know? As usual, I'd like to know what you think! Feedback is always appreciated!

By the way… Shippo does curse! He did in the fifth manga installment, when Inuyasha turns human for the first time and he tosses sends off an acorn to call for help. (**Someone's **been reading a bit too much Inuyasha manga… ahem…)


	13. Hell Hath No Fury

AN: Well, lucky number thirteen! Watch this whole thing go completely awry as I try to write it… And ugh, I ate too many yogurt pretzels and now I feel sick. Those things are so bad for you, too. Hydrolyzed oils. Gack! Oh well.

As per usual, thanks for all the reviews that you've given me: the complements, the constructive criticism, the comments! They really, truly do help me know how my writing's going, and is the better for it. Thank you! One thousand visits from Yay! So, I guess I'm doin' okay, then…

I'm sorry that you find the Shippo and Souta parts boring (Sangome), but most of the time they'll tie into the story… So I'll have 'em when necesary to the plot. Thanks for letting me know that it was boring you, though! My pathetic attempts at humor… (sigh)

And is Kagome really going back to Tokyo? (To answer rin sama's question) I'm not sure yet. Maybe if she and Inuyasha get in a big, stupid fight at some point. Then I'll drag Kagome to Tokyo and make them realize what a stupid argument they had, or somn' to that effect. But she's not going anywhere any time soon… I think… But thanks to Livvy22 for the suggestion!

Disclaimer: I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't own Inuyasha. No way, no how! That's some other people's privilege, not mine. Lucky people…

Haunted

Chapter Thirteen: Hell Hath No Fury…

With a creaking sigh, Mr. Higurashi stood up from his seat on the couch and moved sedately- his joints were cramped from all the time he'd been sitting down- to grab the telephone as it rang. "Yes?" He asked sharply. He didn't like to be disturbed while reading.

"Oh, hi Mr. Higurashi!" The cheerful voice echoed from the phone's earpiece. "It Eri, Kagome's friend? I was wondering if I could talk to her."

Mr. Higurashi nodded. "Of course." He put his hand over the mouthpiece and shouted to his granddaughter. "Kagome! Phone!" The black-haired girl stuck her head through the doorway.

"Who is it?" She walked over to her grandfather and took the phone from him. The senior moved back to his seat on the couch and looked back over the scroll he was reading.

"Eri." The voice answered. "Just wanted to talk, since we never see you any more." Kagome nodded remorsefully and twirled the phone cord around her finger.

"Yeah…" She trailed off. "How are things in Tokyo? Anything interesting happening?" She could here Eri giggling on the other end.

"Yeah, actually." She said cheerfully. "Guess what?" Without waiting for Kagome's reply, she kept going. "I got a new neighbor! And he's so cute!" Kagome grinned. Typical of boy-crazy Eri.

"Really?" Kagome asked interestedly. "What's he like?" Miroku stuck his head into the room with an interested look on his face. Kagome made shooing motions with her hand and he moved on reluctantly.

"He's really, really cute! He's got curly black hair, well, not curly, just kinda wavy, you know? And he's really sweet! He gives me hugs every time I see him!" Eri squealed.

Kagome's grin widened. "Really?" She asked with a small giggle. "What's his name?" There was some more giggling from the other end of the line. Unnoticed by Kagome, Inuyasha stuck his head through the wall, a scowl on his face and grayish-gold eyes flashed. And she said that she wasn't like that about boys!

"He name's Yasashiku. And he's **so cute**!" Eri practically screamed. Kagome winced and pulled her ear away from the phone a bit. "The only problem is…" Eri trailed off.

"What?" Kagome asked, still unaware of Inuyasha's gleaming gold eyes upon her and the low growling uttered from his throat. "Does he have a girlfriend?"Eri laughed on the other end.

"No, of course not!" She answered cryptically. Kagome frowned in confusion. "He's five years old!" Kagome stared incredulously and suddenly snapped around. She knew it. She'd sensed that he was close by. The black-haired glared at Inuyasha, both of them still feeling prickly about their fight.

Kagome placed her hand over the mouthpiece of the phone. "What did I say about eavesdropping on my phone conversations?" She hissed quietly so that Eri wouldn't hear. Inuyasha shrugged resentfully. "I said **don't**!" The poltergeist glared at her angrily and disappeared in a puff of smoke and a small gust of wind.

"Kagome?" Eri asked. "Who were you… um… talking to?" She asked curiously. "Souta? Kiyoshi is always listening in on my conversations." Younger brothers; what a pain!

"No, it was a neighbor." Kagome lied. "He's a real jerk, too. Demanding, loud, rude…" She paused for breath. "He acts like an infant!" Eri hissed sympathetically on the other end. "And he won't leave me alone! He hates every guy who comes near me, but never does anything to-" She cut herself off and blushed furiously.

"What?" Eri asked inquisitively, a small not of teasing entering her voice. "He never does what?" She gasped suddenly. "Do you mean that you two are- but what about Hojo? I thought you were head over heels for him!" Her friend exclaimed over the phone line. "Are you interested in this other guy?"

"I didn't mean it like that!" Kagome protested. "And no! He's not- oh, nevermind!" Her face burned in embarrassment as she spluttered unintelligibly. "Go away, Miroku!" She shouted as she noticed his presence just outside the door. "Don't think that I can't tell you're there! You too, Shippo!" There was the sound of feet pattering away hastily. Kagome checked the presences around her, straining her senses. She didn't hear or see anyone, but she couldn't seem to be able to focus her powers.

"Who's that?" Eri asked. "Oh, wait. I remember. Miroku's the twenty-year-old black-haired guy, right? And Shippo's the little boy?" Kagome twirled the phone cord around her finger again, her face still hot.

"Yeah, but Miroku's actually nineteen. And there's Sango now, too. And her cat Kirara. She and Buyo don't seem to get along really well, though." She said quickly, steering the subject away from her nearly non-existent love life. "Sango's from around Maebashi, too. She's around eighteen, nineteen maybe? Seventeen?" Kagome guessed haphazardly. She'd never been too good with ages.

"Eighteen." Sango stuck her head through the back door. "I'm eighteen, and I lived in Maebashi. Took a few classes at the University there, too." She added smugly, Hiraikotsu swung casually over one shoulder. The older girl removed her shoes and walked through the living room, Kirara trailing after her.

"Eighteen." Kagome echoed to Eri. "Sango's eighteen and from Maebashi where she took classes at the University. So how're you?" She changed the subject abruptly.

"I'm good. Yuka's gotten really into swimming, but the chlorine is murder to her hair. She's actually thinking of cutting it shorter!" Eri exclaimed. "Ayumi's good too. She's looking at high schools already! She's all freaked about it, actually, because she barely made it through the middle school ones, remember?"

Kagome nodded empathetically. Ayumi was smart, a great student and very ingenious. She was doing really well in all subjects, too, but she was a horrible test-taker, freezing up and wasting time. "I can imagine."

"Yeah…" There was a brief lull in the conversation. "Hey, when are you coming to visit?" Eri asked suddenly. "We really miss you. Yuka's not busy at all next week. Neither am I and Ayumi has about six days of nothing planned. Why don't you come up and spend a week at my house?"

Kagome snapped her fingers. "I was just thinking that last night when I went to sleep! But I'll have to ask my mom to drive me, and I don't think she'd like to spend eight hours in the car there and back in one day. But I'd love to, and if I could stay at someone's house it'd be great."

"Oh, no problem! We talked it over with Hojo and he's getting a ride from his Aunt in a few days. Why don't you come up with him? He said it's fine with his aunt." Eri suggested.

Kagome stopped abruptly. That would be awkward. Stuck in a car for four hours with a former crush who was interested in dating her and his aunt whom she didn't know at all. "I don't know…" Kagome said reluctantly. "I mean, I don't even know his aunt. I'm sure that I could get another ride." She added helpfully.

"Kagome…" Eri trailed off suspiciously. "I knew it! You **do** have someone else you're interested in! It's that neighbor, isn't it? Or is it Miroku?" Kagome spluttered.

"He's a houseguest, and way too old!" She protested. "And he's a lecher! No way." She said flatly. Miroku poked his head into the room and gave her a wounded look.

"I'm not that old." He said solemnly. "And I merely happen to express my appreciation of the opposite sex in unique ways." Shippo was right; Miroku would've been an outstanding lawyer.

"Hah." She snorted in an Inuyasha-ish way and watched as he walked into the kitchen, probably to concoct another strange meal. "You're still a lecher!" She called after him. Miroku shook his head and sighed mournfully.

"So then it's your neighbor!" Eri exclaimed. "Isn't it? The truth, now!" Kagome fidgeted uncomfortably and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear without answering. "I take your silence as a yes."

"Mm." Kagome hummed uncertainly and tucked her hair behind her ear again. Souta wandered into the room with a certain young kitsune.

"Kagome, I need the phone." Souta looked at her impatiently. Kagome nodded and went back to her friend on the other end of the line.

"Okay, so I'll see you later, Souta needs to use the phone. And I'll visit soon, okay?" She said hastily. Souta tapped his foot on the ground and folded his arms across his chest.

"Promise?" Eri asked. Kagome answered in the affirmative. "Okay, then!" Her friend said cheerfully. "See you soon then! Bye."

"Bye!" Kagome hung up and handed the phone to her younger sibling. "Here ya go." She got up off the couch and started to walk outside, then abruptly changed her mind and headed in the other direction.

Despite the ballroom's current condition- hastily patched the day before and battle-scarred, containing traces of both Kagura and Inuyasha's blood- it was still a good place to think. Or at least, she hoped.

Because Kagome really needed some time to think.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

Inuyasha was feeling decidedly mopey. He was starting to question whether or not Kagome was serious about hating him or not. She said it twice, talked about leaving for a week, something about a neighbor whom she liked- it was probably that stinking wolf, Kouga, even though he wasn't exactly a neighbor- and then she'd told him to go away. And she'd called the neighbor an idiot and a jerk, so then it was almost definitely Kouga. He was both an idiot and a jerk, and then more besides. "Stupid mangy wolf."

Inuyasha sighed as pale grey smoke floated around him, creating an almost impenetrable haze. He sniffed delicately. No, it wasn't smoke. It was a rain cloud. He fingered the stuff uselessly. It just passed through the spectral flesh. Hm. He seemed to have developed his own type of climate control: smoke, wind, clouds, electricity… Not that it did him any good.

"Hey, Dog-boy!" A large pink bubble hovered above his cloud, dimly outlined against the sun. "I know you're in there somewhere!" The bubble started to descend and Inuyasha growled. Why was it always Shippo? He disappeared with a puff of cloud material and existed in the between-place, where reality and oblivion existed side by side. He knew what was in reality, but what was oblivion like? Feeling decidedly reckless, Inuyasha stuck his hand into the place that was neither dark nor light, cold nor warm, neither friendly nor hostile. It was… nothing. The poltergeist couldn't help but feel curious about it. He moved his hand around in the nothing. Or was he? Inuyasha shrugged. He wasn't sure, really. It was kind of nice, in a vague sense.

He pulled his hand back out, almost expecting it to be altered or gone, broken up in Oblivion. He moved it back and forth experimentally. The thing still seemed to work. "Huh." He said. His voice was muffled, stuffy and small. He'd expected it to echo across the emptiness. "Well, this place gets more interesting by the moment." Inuyasha commented sardonically. "Boring…" It took an effort of will to leave the crossover between Oblivion and Reality, an effort of will to enter it. With a small puff of cloud and a small bright flash, he winked out of the crossover and into the solid world, near the hill where Kagome had fallen to save him. Kagome…

"Kagome…" He looked down the slope to the house below. "Do you really hate me…?" He wondered aloud, staring at the bright blue sky above as the long emerald grass waved gently across the steep slope, rustling quietly, soothingly as the wind blew quietly.

"Of course not," came the soft reply.

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

"I don't understand." Miroku frowned and stared at Sango rather accusingly. "Explain this to me again." The demon exterminator sighed and put the worn deck of cards on the table.

"I use my head." She said very slowly, enunciating clearly as she tried to compact the concept into the purple-eyed man's head. "There is no secret trick, no cheating. I'm just good at cards." Miroku nodded slowly.

"I understand that." He tapped his fingers against the tabletop and stared at the deck of cards that sat in a neat pile between them. "But what do you mean by that? What's the trick? How do you use your head?"

Sango put her head in her hands and groaned. "I told you… There's no secret! No trick! I just think before I put the cards down! I pay attention!" The black-haired man frowned in thought again, then grabbed the deck.

"Okay. I'm going to beat you this time." He told her seriously. "I can do it." He shuffled the deck and dealt. "I will win." He said stubbornly.

Sango rolled her eyes.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Ah!" Inuyasha stumbled backwards in surprise and turned around, embarrassment staining his pinkish-grey cheeks a reddish hue. "I- I didn't see you there." He stammered and looked away towards the house.

"I know." Kagome replied with amusement as she stared out at the view. They sat in silence for a moment, neither exactly sure of what to say. Only a few hours ago they were mad at each other.

Inuyasha cleared his throat uncomfortably. What are you doing up here?" He asked, then grimaced. What a stupid question. The raven-haired girl looked at him in surprise, the sun shining softly on her head.

"Just thinking," She replied simply and turned to stare out at the landscape before the two of them. "What about you?" She followed up in a small voice.

"Same." The wind heaved a heavy sigh that made the long grass shiver and the leaves on the trees behind them quiver restlessly. The sun was high in the sky and radiating warmth to all below. Puffy white clouds crawled slowly across the intensely blue sky as the two sat –floated, in Inuyasha's case- in silence. Kagome flopped down on the grass abruptly and stared up at the sky above.

She giggled suddenly and pointed up at a cloud. "That one looks like a spoon." The poltergeist looked at her quizzically and then at the cloud. He floated closer to the ground on his back until he was side by side with Kagome.

"Which one?" She pointed it out to him. "I think it just looks like a cloud." He said in surprise. Kagome looked at him in despair and shook her head, the grass rustling beneath her as she did so.

"Use your imagination." She told him and pointed out another cloud. "See that one? It looks like a shoe." Inuyasha allowed himself a small smile as he stared up into the sky. "But you have to look at it sideways." Kagome concluded and tilted her head. "Otherwise it looks like a cloud."

Inuyasha nodded in agreement. "I guess…" He said reluctantly. Kagome rolled over onto her stomach and stared at him intently with brown eyes, chin propped up on her hands.

"What do you think it looks like?" She stared at him penetratingly. Inuyasha shrugged carelessly. "Oh, come on!" The raven-haired girl coaxed. "Just tell me!"

Inuyasha sighed and relented. "My claw." He said flatly and held up a finger. Kagome looked back up into the sky and cocked her head to the side, peering intently at the cloud.

"I see what you mean." She said finally. "Or maybe a tooth with the root still in tact!" She grimaced. "But that's gross." She looked back at his outstretched hand. "Is it just me," She moved in closer, her nose only a few inches from his hand. "Or is your hand more colorful than yesterday?"

Inuyasha brought his hand up to his face. "What do you know?" He remarked dryly. "It looks like it is." His voice lacked enthusiasm and Kagome looked at him in concerned perplexity.

"Are you all right?" She asked. "You don't seem to… happy." Inuyasha shrugged and avoided the subject. After a moment's silence, Kagome sighed. "You know, you can always tell me if you want to." She said carefully, sincerely. "Keeping whatever it is bottled up is bad."

The semi-poltergeist looked at her in surprise, golden eyes filled with something unreadable; gratitude, surprise, confusion, and…? Something else that made Kagome look away, face feeling a bit warmer than before, heart pounding against her ribcage. "Thanks." Inuyasha finally murmured, staring up at the clouds again. Kagome glanced at the poltergeist out of the corner of her eye.

Was it just her imagination, or was the color in him more intense than a few moments before?

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Is there any card game that you're **not** good at?" Miroku asked Sango, in a state of dazed awe. "Or am I just terrible at these things?" Sango shrugged and shuffled the deck expertly, the worn playing cards slapping against the wood of the kitchen table.

"Well, I've played Gin Rummy and Uno since I was little." Sango admitted and placed the neat stack of cards on the table. "And my father always said," Miroku noticed that Sango said the word with difficulty. " that I had a great poker face. And I'm okay at speed games because I've got quick reflexes from training."

Miroku stared at the demon exterminator with open awe. "I have no hope against one so well versed in the art of cards." He said matter-of-factly. Sango stared at him for a moment in surprise, then shook her head and dealt another hand of Gin Rummy.

"You should've been a lawyer." She told the purple-eyed man sitting across from her. "You would've been a great one." She picked up her cards and arranged them to her liking.

"I beg to differ." Miroku frowned in concentration as he organized his own hand. "My strong sense of mortality would get the best of me when defending people whom I believe are to be prosecuted, or prosecuting those who are innocent."

Sango snorted in disbelief. "I find it odd that your 'strong sense of morality' doesn't hold you back from touching people where they would rather not be." Miroku picked up the King of Spades and put down the Six of Hearts.

"And you say that **I** should be a lawyer," he commented dryly. Sango pounced on the Six and laid down an Ace. "Ooh." Miroku grabbed the Ace and put it in his hand. He paused for a moment, frowning in thought as he chose a card of his own to put down.

"I'll take that." Sango said smugly and grabbed his card. "Oh, and…" She put her hand down. "Gin." She said sweetly.

"Are you **sure** you're not cheating?" Miroku confirmed and ran a hand through his black hair in bewilderment. He grabbed the deck and put all the cards together in one pile.

"Yes, I'm sure." Sango replied. "What kind of person do you think I am, exactly?", she asked, feeling slightly insulted. Miroku shook his head and dealt another hand.

"Someone who's very good at cards." The black-haired man replied honestly. "And I demand a rematch." Sango sighed and picked up her cards, organizing them as she did so.

"The twenty-third rematch."

(•.•)

( • )--

"Kagome!"

White ears twitched on Inuyasha's head, catching Mrs. Higurashi's distant call from the house. She called again and Inuyasha sighed. Kagome, her ears not nearly as perceptive as his own, looked at him. "Is something wrong?" She asked concernedly. She was still hoping that he'd open up to her and tell him why he seemed so depressed.

"You're mother's calling." Inuyasha informed her and indicated the house with a brief nod. Kagome sat up, leaving a dent in the long grass where she'd been laying. Inuyasha, who'd been mimicking her position, left no mark. The raven-haired teen scrambled to her feet, brushing off her short green skirt and yelling down the hill to her mother.

"COMINGGGGGGGGGG!" She called loudly. She turned to her companion, a small inviting smile on her face. "Are you coming too?" Inuyasha shrugged and paused before replying.

"I'm staying here for a while." He told her. Kagome nodded, looking slightly put out and slid down the hill. "Careful!" Inuyasha called out behind her. "Can't have you cracking your skull open, can we?" He added hastily when she turned around and gave him a cheerful grin and a wave. Kagome continued to slide down the hill rather recklessly, just avoiding the few sparse bushes and rocks in her way. The poltergeist let out a breath he hadn't know he was holding in when she reached the bottom without incident and stepped over the broken fragments of the old wooden fence that she'd crashed into days previous.

"You know, you can always tell me if you want to."

Her words echoed relentlessly in his head. He wanted to tell her, tell someone about his past and everything that had happened, explain everything. She could assure him, tell him that it was okay; he wasn't a horrible, terrible monster for what had happened. "It wasn't my fault!" He told himself angrily. "Kikyo's the one who messed things up…" Right? But it was his fault. If he'd overlooked Kikyo's treachery –he stared down at his hands remorsefully- and just did what he needed to do, would everything have turned out all right? And he'd been doing her a favor, too! He'd asked for nothing in return, simply to live his life in peace, find a place to belong. And she'd said of course, that she understood. She said that she could relate to him because she'd faced so many difficulties herself and wanted to live a normal life. So why did she curse him, turn him into a poltergeist?

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

"There you are, Kagome!" Mrs. Higurashi exclaimed as her daughter came running up to the door, looking a little worse for wear with various bits of plant material in her hair and sticking to her socks. "Where were you?" She asked anxiously. "You've been missing for hours!"

"Sorry." Kagome gasped for breath. "On hill, with Inuyasha. Looking at clouds." Mrs. Higurashi nodded and stepped back inside. "I didn't realize that so much time had gone by." She apologized.

"It's alright, just try and keep track of the time next time, okay?" Mrs. Higurashi went into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. "How was it?" She asked, wiping her mouth daintily with the edge of her apron.

"Huh?" Kagome asked, confused. "How was what?" She sat down at the table, where Miroku and Sango were still playing a Gin Rummy. The older woman put her cup down and turned to her daughter.

"Watching the clouds?" She said, drying her hands on her apron. Kagome nodded in the positive and peered at Miroku's hand before answering.

"Good. Just cloud watching." The older woman fished about in her apron pocked and pulled out a set of keys. She turned to the three at the table before walking out of the room.

"I'll be gone for about an hour, okay? I need to do some grocery shopping and they don't really have a grocery store anywhere nearby." She sighed impatiently. Mrs. Higurashi didn't really like driving.

"'Kay." Kagome replied. Her mother walked out of the room and out the front door, pausing only to call up to Souta and Shippo, who were picking up another mess of packing peanuts and to put on her shoes.

"Gin." Sango said smugly for what was likely to be the fortieth time. Miroku set his cards down and ran a hand through his black hair. "Another game?" She challenged. The purple-eyed man shook his head in the negative and put his head in his hands.

"Ooh, let's play BS!" Kagome said enthusiastically. Sango nodded in agreement. Both girls turned to Miroku expectantly. The monk peeked at them from around his fingers.

"I'll play." He said with resignation. "If I really have to…" Sango started dealing out cards and Kagome cheered. "I guess that's a yes, then." He picked up his cards and looked at them wearily. There were only so many card games he could play in a day… And Miroku was pretty sure he'd already hit his limit. Wearily, he put down a card.

"One two." He said carelessly. Let the games begin.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

He should really stop thinking about Kikyo now. Inuyasha sighed and looked across the hill. It was really bad for his mood. He noticed carelessly that he'd started spewing black smoke loaded with little sparks everywhere and there was a turbulent breeze swirling around him. Oh well. He didn't really care. He was feeling downright miserable at this point, caught in the maelstrom of his own self-degrading thoughts.

He just wanted to disappear of a while… To go somewhere alone where it was all empty and no one would or could bother him. He wanted to take a visit to Oblivion. With a soft, mournful whoosh of air and another large cloud of smoke, he was gone.

Oblivion. It welcomed him with open arms to a safe place, an empty place, a small place that was large at the same time. Oblivion. A place to think, to reflect, to mourn his past mistakes. "He who is wise never tries to revise what's past and gone". So what? He was a fool and always would be. A fool to trust Kikyo, a fool to fall for her, a fool to believe her.

"A fool…" He murmured aloud. His voice reverberated, muffled and small. He sighed. He was small, in the scheme of things. Kikyo's pawn in her grand plan. "A fool." He said harshly, strongly. A fool.

"No, it's **I** who was the fool." A familiar voice echoed from the depths of Oblivion and a terrible hollowness appeared in Inuyasha's now-grey eyes. "And such a fool, too."

"Kikyo." Inuyasha said simply. Hey, it was Oblivion. Anything could happen, right? The one person he really, really didn't want to see ever again… or did he? He was so confused.

"Inuyasha." The voice echoed bitterly. And Kikyo stepped into his perception. He couldn't see her, couldn't smell her, but he knew she was there. A familiar presence in all the emptiness. "Inuyasha…" She echoed again.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"BS!" Kagome cried triumphantly and pointed at Sango. The demon exterminator winced and picked up the huge pile of accumulated cards. Kagome grinned at her cheerfully.

"And my father said I had a poker face." Sango shook her head and arranged the cards in her hand. "How could you tell?" She asked the raven-haired girl. Kagome grinned and shook her head.

"Now that would be telling, wouldn't it?" She asked. Miroku grinned and put down his own cards on the table. Clearing his throat officiously, he stated what he'd put down.

"Three sixes." Sango searched painstakingly through her hand for any sixes. Her hand was so huge, there had to be some in it somewhere.

"Hmm…" Her hand hovered over first one card, then another. "Looks like you might be telling the truth." She scrutinized the purple-eyed man carefully. "But I'm not real-" She broke off as Kagome gasped and fell on the table, clutching at her head. "Kagome!"

"It hurts!" The younger girl exclaimed in a panicky voice. "Pounding-" She gritted her teeth and hissed, eyes tightly shut. "And it won't stop-" She gasped out at another fresh onslaught of pain, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. "Oh-" She curled up in her chair, clutching her head desperately.

"Kagome!" The two of them were around the table, Sango desperately shaking the girl's shoulder as Miroku hurried over to the phone. Shippo came tumbling down the stairs as the black-haired girl rocked back and forth in her chair.

"Kagome!" He wailed and launched himself onto the girl's other shoulder. "What's wrong with her! Is she sick? Is she gonna get better?" The kitsune wailed at Sango. "Make her stop hurting!" He tugged helplessly at Kagome's shirt. "Wake up!"

Bright stars exploded across Kagome's tightly shut eyes and she felt herself losing something. Vision flashed and she saw black, darkness. The pain was throbbing, pulsing in her skull, threatening to explode into something far worse. "Oh…" She gasped as a gruesome throb made her reel. She was no longer aware of the chair as it fell over, Sango shaking her shoulder or Shippo's desperate screams, Souta's tears splashing against her face or Miroku's voice rising in volume as it demanded an ambulance. The darkness overwhelmed her and she felt pain lessen. Kagome threw herself gladly into the darkness, anything to make the pain stop.

And the pain did stop, instantly fading into nothing. After the few moment's relief that Kagome sought, she grew alarmed when she couldn't see. She couldn't see, hear or even move. If she was moving, she wasn't aware of it. She focused her will, panicking, on seeing, and willing her eyes to penetrate the grey fogginess that clouded her sight to go away. "See…" She murmured. "See…" Her voice was small and muffled, echoing not in her ears but in her head. Something cackled around her, something warm in the place that was neither warm nor cold, dark nor light. "See!" She said desperately, forcefully. "Please!" Sparkling pink light bloomed around her, cackling with energy as it swirled around her. The stuff faded to a dull roar and then diminished. Kagome blinked spots out of her eyes and sighed in relief. She could see.

"Inuyasha!" She cried joyously. She felt like crying out of relief. She'd thought that the headache was a stroke or something that had killed her and she was dead. But here he was, and she'd be safe with him. Inuyasha was staring at her, a mixture of pain, anger, just plain torment evident in his lonely grey eyes. "Inuyasha?" She tried again. "What did I do?" Her words didn't even echo dimly in her own mind and Inuyasha didn't seem to hear her. She tried to open her mouth wider to yell at him, and discovered to her horror that she didn't seem to have a mouth to open. Nonexistent hands tried to fly on to her face in horror and she would've stumbled back if she'd had feet. "No!" She cried out, her words nonexistent. "NO!" Strong pink light burst forth from her essence, if that was what she was, and surrounded her, shivering and sparkling violently as it swirled around in a maelstrom of power and confusion. "LET ME GO!" She screamed frantically. The power surged up and grew into a giant writhing column that dipped and swayed, rushing and spinning, a very frightened girl-spirit at its center. "PLEASE LET ME GO!"

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Why?" He asked simply. Kikyo looked at him with an expression torn between hate and anguish, standing before him as tall, proud and unreachable as before. She took cautions, wavering steps towards him. Inuyasha was surprised that he could see her. Before, she'd just been a presence, a familiar feeling, and then suddenly she glowed, pulsed and she was there just as she'd been five hundred years prior.

"Why?" She echoed and looked at him, a deep and penetrating misery echoing timelessly in her eyes. "Why did you kill me?" She asked. "I always wanted to know…" Inuyasha reeled back as if struck.

"I didn't kill you!" He shook his head in denial. "You killed me! You trapped me inside a bottle, forced to live alone, a mere shadow for five hundred years!" He argued, his eyes a hollow grey as color started to leak from his appearance, leaving him a worn and faded grey color. "Why?"

"I did not kill you." Kikyo said quietly. "The spell that I made wasn't supposed to turn you into what you are now. You somehow got caught in the spell. I didn't foresee it happening." She said, staring at him fixatedly.

"You could've waited until I was out of the way to perform the spell. I told you to wait, just a moment. I was in the air, just about to cut him right down the middle," Inuyasha stared into the distance as he remembered the most painful memory of his life. "And you just let go. It was aimed right at me. You trapped me." He stared back at her. "Don't pretend it didn't happen." He snarled. Everything was supposed to have ended differently…

"I didn't aim the urn at you. I was still making the spell when you attacked Naraku. My concentration was on it, not you. You were supposed to protect me as I finished the spell. Because of you, I have been trapped here for so long." Inuyasha backed away again.

"I didn't kill you!" He protested. He **knew** that he hadn't attacked Kikyo. "I don't know how you died, after you sealed me in the urn." His fists were clenched tightly.

"But because of you, I died." She said simply. Five hundred years in Oblivion had twisted her, changed her into someone else and her memory with it. She did not truly remember the events leading up to her death, only that it was Inuyasha, his fault. "You did not keep to your words. Lair. I thought that you cared about me…" Her resolve was crumbling. "All you wanted, you said, was to live in peace. With me…." Her eyes opened wide suddenly and she fell to her knees. The priestess started to glow fiercely and a muffled voice echoed across the expanse of Oblivion in a way nothing else did.

"And I wasn't lying!" He looked at her, slightly alarmed. "What's happening?" Kikyo looked up at him with cold, bitter eyes as she tried to stand again.

"This place claims all in time. I have faded from myself. But the presence of my soul and your thoughts have brought me back, temporarily." She explained bitterly, staring at him. "See what you have done to me?" She stayed on her knees as the voice inside her began to grow stronger until it formed intelligible words.

"LET ME GO!" Inuyasha stepped back again in surprise and horror. It was Kagome, her voice filled with fright, panic. "PLEASE!" There was the tiniest hint of a sob in her voice as it echoed again from Kikyo's body. "LET ME GO!" With a sparkling pink light, Kikyo started to fade.

"And to Oblivion I return." Kikyo said coldly. "Goodbye, for now, Inuyasha." She could not fight this force, whatever it was. Kikyo knew that. The pink light enveloped her. Inuyasha reached forward, having no idea of what was going on.

"Wait!" He tried to grab her wrist. "I don't understand!" And he was so confused at the moment. Kikyo looked at him calmly as the blinding light surrounded and engulfed her until she was gone. "Kikyo!"

The pink light dimmed, leaving behind a black-haired, frightened girl. Kagome sat, curled up, eyes tightly shut as she hugged her knees to her chest. "Please let me go," she murmured. "Let me go, let me go, go home, go home." Immediately Inuyasha placed a hand on her shoulder in a feeble attempt to calm her.

The black-haired girl flinched away, then looked up, tears in her eyes. "Oh, god!" She threw herself at him, shaking with nerves. "Oh, god…" She murmured into the thick fabric of his grey haori. Inuyasha stared at her in surprise.

"Kagome?" He asked in confusion, feeling slightly awkward with her holding him so close. "What are you doing here?" She looked up at him and wiped her eyes before answering.

"I don't know." She said, stepping away hastily, blushing slightly. "I was playing cards with Sango and Miroku. Then… I don't remember… and I was in a dark place with nothing and…" And she'd been terrified because she didn't exist; she was a lone consciousness without a body and that terrified her. She hadn't existed. "… and so I ended up here." The darkness was no longer frightening. She was her again, and Inuyasha was here with her. It would be okay. "Where are we?"

Inuyasha looked at her uncomfortably, his thoughts still occupied by Kikyo. "Oblivion." He said simply. Kagome looked at him in alarm, the shrugged in acceptance.

"So, how do we get out?" She asked. He seemed to be preoccupied by something. "Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed. "What happened to you?" She fingered the dull fabric between her colorful fingers, then rubbed them against the cloth harder when some of the color seemed to come off and stain the cloth red.

Inuyasha pulled her hand away sharply. "Don't do that!"

"Why not?" Kagome demanded. "You're completely colorless!" He was starting to scare her, actually. She reached up and poked him in the face, leaving a peachy mark on his cheek.

"Hey!" Inuyasha barked in surprise. "What are you doing?" Kagome placed her palms on his arm and pulled away, leaving vivid red hand marks on the otherwise dull material.

"Making you colorful." She told him matter-of-factly and grabbed his shoulder. Color flowed from her hand and sank into his shoulder with a strange tingling feeling. "See?" Hesitantly, she brought her hand to his other shoulder, silently asking for his consent. When he didn't move, she placed it on his shoulder, the color seeping through his shoulder to flow down his arm as Kagome concentrated fiercely on her hand on his shoulder. She wasn't sure what she was doing, exactly, only that it made Inuyasha colorful again and made her feel weak to the knees.

She gasped and stepped back tremulously, head spinning slightly. "All done." She surveyed the poltergeist with a critical eye. He was very colorful now, but his eyes were still grey, and staring at her in shock. She frowned and took a wobbly step forward, wondering dazedly if she should poke him in the eye. "Your eyes are still grey-" Her knees gave way and she fell to the nonexistent ground.

Inuyasha caught her by the elbows and pulled her upright, glaring at her. "Fool!" Kagome stepped back as if slapped, eyes wide with surprise and confusion, then hurt. "Look at yourself!" Kagome inspected her hand, eyes widening in shock.

Her hand was grey tinged peach just as Inuyasha had been the day before. "Oops." She said in a small voice. Inuyasha glared at her with grey eyes as she sat down heavily on the ground. "I didn't think that **that** would happen." She commented, eyelids beginning to droop with exhaustion.

"Take it back." Inuyasha said flatly, offering his hand. "I don't need it." Kagome looked up at him through dark grey eyes, blinking slowly. She was so tired…

"You need it more than I do." She said. "You're always so sad." Inuyasha stepped back in surprise. "You try to hide it," She commented sleepily, her exhausted mind making her tongue loose to say whatever it wanted. "but you're so lonely inside, afraid to make friends. You don't want to be hurt. You're actually shy, insecure." She yawned and blinked again. "So just take the color. It's pretty and you deserve it." Her eyelids fluttered shut and she her head sank down on her knees. Her breathing evened out as she slept.

Inuyasha blinked. "How…?" He wondered aloud, staring the sleeping grey girl. He sighed and sat down next to her, holding up his hand contemplatively and staring at it, then the red fabric of his haori. He turned to the pale girl next to him with a strange expression in his bright golden eyes.

Kagome slept on peacefully, unaware of the profound thoughts of the poltergeist next to her.

(•.•)

( • )--

"Kagome!" Shippo tried shaking the comatose girl for the umpteenth time. "Please, wake up!" With a heavy heart, Sango gently picked up the young demon and put him down next to the couch where Kagome was lying. "Stoppit!" He protested. "Let me see Kagome!"

Sango cleared her throat painfully and looked at the kitsune with strain in her eyes. "Shaking her won't wake her up, Shippo." She said bleakly. She couldn't stand to watch Kagome's head roll limply about on the pillow as Shippo shook her. Only the even rise and fall of the younger girl's chest was keeping Sango from the brink of total panic.

Miroku slammed down the phone again and swore blackly. "The police are incompetent, uncompassionate fools and the paramedics are either deaf or the most incredibly cold-hearted-" Miroku took a deep breath before saying something rather brash, "-people in the whole of Japan." He finished weakly. "Fifteen phone calls." He ground his teeth and sat down on a chair. "Fifteen!" He shook his head incredulously. "And it's their job! They don't get paid to sit around on their-" He took another breath before continuing. "-chairs all day and ignore people in need!"

"What did they say?" Sango asked wearily, Kirara mewing softly on her shoulder. She patted the little cat and sighed deeply.

"'By the time we get there, she'll be dead. There's no need to come out.' Can you believe it?" Miroku asked. "Of course, they didn't say it like that, but it's what they were getting at." Sango stared at him in outrage.

"That's… disgusting!" She cried, fists clenching tightly in her lap. "Give me the phone." There was a dangerous spark in her eyes that promised hell and high water to those whom it normally wouldn't bother.

Wordlessly –he was actually looking forward to this- he handed the phone to Sango and headed into the other room to grab the other phone so he could hear and add his own two cents. "Hello?" Sango snapped into the phone after dialing. Miroku came back into the room with the cordless phone in hand. "Yes, I'd like to report an emergency." She paused. "Priestess Lane." Her eyebrows snapped together at the man's reply on the other end. "No. You are coming here. Now." The man fumbled awkwardly for a reply, but the relentless demon exterminator cut him off sharply. "I don't care how long it takes for you to get here. As of now, Kagome Higurashi is alive and breathing. If you'd left when we first called, you'd be here by now." Miroku grinned in spite of the situation.

"How much are you paid a month?" Sango asked casually. The man replied awkwardly and tried to comment, but she cut him off. "And what is in your job description, exactly? Why do you get paid?" Miroku's grinned widened. "You help people with medical emergencies, correct?" She said, voice clipped. "Now, how much do you think of your paycheck is for sitting at that desk? I don't think it's very much. But you'll find out soon enough when I call your superiors and tell them exactly how very helpful you are to the community. I'm sure they'll be very pleased to hear about it." The man hastily agreed.

"I'm on my way, ma'am." He said and slammed the phone down. Miroku turned the phone off and looked at Sango in surprise and awe. She hung up the phone calmly and leaned back against the chair without glancing at the purple-eyed man.

"And you said **I** should be a lawyer! You should be a PR executive! Very persuasive." Miroku exclaimed. Sango turned to him seriously, the anger burnt out of his eyes, leaving behind a great weariness.

"You said you wouldn't be a good lawyer because of your strong sense of morality. I wouldn't be a good PR consultant because I despise lying to the general public about issues that rightfully concern them and covering up the illegal or harmful activities of large corporate faction that operate with only their own well-being in mind." Miroku stared at her.

"What?" He blinked in surprise.

"Would you like me to repeat it?" Sango asked calmly. Miroku shook his head slowly. Shippo quietly climbed back onto the couch and stared at Kagome intently, sitting right next to her head.

"No thanks." Miroku said and looked out the through the glass doors at the garden. Inuyasha was floating a few scant inches above the ground, his feet hidden in the grass. He drifted towards the door and tried to go through it, but he hit the glass with a soft wumphing sound. Sango and Miroku stared. "Was he that colorful this morning?" The black haired man ran a hand through his hair in bewilderment.

"I don't think so." Sango shook her head in the negative. "And he hit the door too." The poltergeist tapped his foot impatiently against the concrete steps and tapped softly on the window. The demon exterminator got up from her seat and slid open the door for him. "What happened?" She asked. "How are you all-"

"Kagome." Inuyasha cut her off. "She made me colorful." Miroku raised his eyebrows at the poltergeist and Inuyasha glared at him. "You have a filthy mind, monk." He held something carefully cupped in his two hands.

"What is it?" Sango closed the door softly and peered into his hands. Miroku got up and joined her. "It's glowing…" The demon exterminator said softly. In Inuyasha's hands was a soft light, a small handful of wispy pink vapors that glowed and sparkled. It looked incredibly fragile, beautiful while at the same time strange and alien.

"Kagome's soul." Inuyasha said softly, afraid to breathe upon the thing in case it would blow away. Miroku stepped back instantly, horror on his face. Sango looked confused and Shippo left Kagome's comatose form to take a look.

"What did you do to her!" Miroku asked angrily. "She could've been killed!" Inuyasha's gaze didn't leave the collection of sparkling pink smoke for a moment, carefully bringing it towards her body.

"It wasn't me." He said carefully, all his concentration focused on the soul. The pink smoke drifted slowly in his hands with the small air currents. "Stop moving." He told everyone in the room. "And shut all the doors. We don't want Kagome's soul blowing away." Slowly, Miroku walked to the doorway and shut the door to the hallway as Sango moved to the kitchen door. Upon closing them, they froze. Inuyasha floated ever so slowly closer to the comatose body and carefully lowered his hands until they were a few inches above Kagome's chest. He carefully let the smoke drift through his semi-spectral fingers and onto Kagome's body, where it sank through her shirt and into her body.

As soon as all the soul was back in Kagome's body, she stiffened at sat bolt upright, gasping. "Oh…" She slumped into a sitting position and grinned at Inuyasha. "Thanks." She said, then looked at everyone else. "Hi! Sorry to worry you!" They all stared at her, slack-jawed. "Is something wrong?" Inuyasha cleared his throat.

"You're see-through." He informed her, glaring. "I **told** you not to give me all your color!" Kagome blinked and looked at her hands they were their regular peach and, indeed, transparent. Everyone else continued to stare.

"Cool." She commented and poked at the couch. Her finger went through it slowly. "Ooh." She frowned and tried to walk through the furniture with difficulty, like walking through water. "That's weird…"

Everyone was silent, staring at the now demi-spectral girl in front of them. Finally, Miroku spoke up. "What exactly happened?" He asked carefully. This was going to take a lot of explaining…

Kagome took a deep breath and began her story…

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

AN: Well, it seems that I was right about the "lucky thirteen" thing…

I feel that the Kikyo/ Inuyasha thing was very unsatisfactory. Any suggestions upon improvement for that scene or anything else? I could really, really use some good advice on that bit. It did not flow well as I was writing it. As mentioned before, my Kikyos always end up being tragic sob stories, so I tried to stiffen her up a bit more in this story. (Did it work?)

This one took a little longer to write because I had lotsa problems with the Kikyo/Inuyasha deal (as said before) and the fact that I changed the ending several times. At one point, actually, Kagome became a poltergeist because she gave so much of her life force to Inuyasha. **Definitely** not happening… So I had to change it.

And as usual: OOC? How so? Recommendations upon making any characters less so? And in general… how am I doing, because second opinions are very valuable! (As are third, and fourth, and fifth…et cetera)


	14. The Spider's Web

AN: I'M SO SORRY ABOUT HOW LONG THIS TOOK! SO, SO, SO SORRY!

It was very infuriating for me, too. Every time, EVERY TIME, I sat down to write and just started getting into it, my mom/dad would tell me to clean up my stuff in the living room/bathroom/dining room/kitchen, or to call somebody back, or tell me to practice piano, that we're going for a two hour hike, ect. It drove me NUTS! (Especially the hiking. I always feel like I'm lost in the middle of nowhere. Not very fun.) In fact, as I'm typing, some parental figure or other is calling me… something about dishes… ugh.

Thanks to all those who reviewed! It's very helpful to know what people like/dislike and what can be improved upon. Naturally, it is hard to self-evaluate your own work –as I'm sure many of you are aware- so it's really, really helpful and kind of you! (I'm feeling some strange urge to tell you all how much I appreciate you…)

To answer some questions and respond to some reviews (I'm very haphazard about these things… I should really make a system or something for answering questions…so I'll try some individual responses).

Koinu-no-ai: So Inuyasha brings Kagome's soul back. How'd it get out in the first place? My answer: Kikyo stole it to rematerialize herself in Oblivion. So Kagome's soul/consciousness got dragged there, too. Thus, Kagome's body was without a soul and stuck in a "coma" in real life. I don't think that Kagome was really aware of what she was doing when she gave Inuyasha her life force. She was just trying to color him us a bit because he was alarmingly grey and depressed. She didn't realize that the whole experience would drain her so much. She really doesn't no much about being a priestess, you know? She just found out about… a week ago, was it? And she's not in a position in which she needs to use her powers at this point.

About the whole summer thing… I agree and didn't think that Japanese students get a very long school break when I started writing this, so I'm not sure how this is all working out. And that's a very bad thing. I'll try and find some excuse for all the time that's passed so far… I've purposefully left it vague, actually. It's up to the reader's discretion to decide what's going on. I personally fancy that she's getting home schooled since there's not a school nearby, or maybe it closed for some reason.

Tiamath: Thank you for saying so! (About the Kikyo/Inuyasha situation). I actually feel that it's a bit lacking in originality; it's practically the same as in the actual anime/manga. I might go back and change it once I'm done with the fic. I agree about Kikyo and Inuyasha's relationship being a challenging thing to write about; my Kikyos always end up being rather meek and tragic, while the real deal is strong and proud, rather cold and distant, yet tragic simultaneously. So I've gotta find a way to work that out… And the paramedics? We'll find out, won't we? (Grins)

Thanks for noticing the Shippo/Souta thing! (That's actually what I was trying to do; provide comic relief through child's play. I'm glad that you noticed it. I really appreciate the eloquent compliment on my writing, too! It makes me feel all cheerful and bubbly.)

Sango-maru: Here I am! I am updating! I'm glad that you like the story! Thank you for the suggestion (with Inuyasha hiding). It's an intriguing idea… About the grave marker: it was going to have some major importance… but then it just was kinda unused. (A cryptic answer… but if I tell you straight out it might ruin the story…) It'll be explained in this chapter, I think. (I never know what's going to happen until I start –finish, actually –writing the thing, so I hope you get the answer to you question about the grave marker by the end of this chapter!)

rin sama1989: Wow! I'm glad you liked it! And I thought I did pretty terribly, myself… I agree, plot twists **ARE** cool! I like them very, very much to the point at which they would become irritating and overdone if I wrote them as much as I thought of them, so I'm trying to keep 'em few and far between. It makes me happy to know that you haven't noticed an OOC-ness going on. I **did**, however, find it difficult to see into Kikyo's head and decided what she'd think or say, so I'm glad that I did an acceptable job.

Livvy22: Thank you! Again, I'm relieved about the characters and the fact that they aren't too far from the real thing; that's the problem –and the great thing, too- about fan fiction: you're using previously realized characters whom you must make believable, but at the same time, you don't have to introduce everybody to the readers again. And just out of curiosity, what part did you find so funny? (Maybe I could do something similar or in the same vein to add some humor if I feel the need…)

Sessy-chansbestpal: Thank you! I'm happy that you approve! (It's always nice to see new reviewers, also! So thanks for doing so! -reviewing, I mean…)

NewSalemWitch: Souta and Shippo aren't going anywhere. My sympathies on the end-of-the quarter rush! (Got a bit of that, too. Barely scraped through Geometry with a B, as a matter of fact…) You're exactly right about the curse being linked to Inuyasha's emotions. Because he was pretty much dead emotionally, the curse had a strong hold on him, but he's more alive, so… yeah. You got it. About the writing quickly thing… I do it a lot in my spare time. The time just adds up pretty quickly, I guess. I've been trying to make all my chapters twenty pages in length, since the ninth or eighth about. And I agree; Kagome as a poltergeist would've been a sickening twist and NOT something that I would do. No no no! (hehe)

I'm glad you've gotten the motivation, for your story! That cliffie was a killer… (As the other reviewer said, don't be put out by the lack of reviews! I'm sure it's just because no one's seen it.) I'm very, very flattered! Rozefire's one of my favorite authors! Very prestigious, you know? And no, surprisingly Miroku hasn't given me much trouble lately. That's a good thing!

(Those turned out longer than I thought they would… two pages. So that means a twenty-one paged chapter…)

Disclaimer: Actually, I do own Inuyasha. Really. He's all mine. This is not a joke. Inuyasha and all the characters therein belong to me. Really. I'm not joking. Do you see my serious face here? I'm very serious.

No joke.

Genuine truth.

Yes, I'm serious.

Dead serious.

And you're laughing at me, or thinking that I'm crazy.

But I **DO** own Inuyasha!

…

…ahem…

…well, I know it's a bit late –really, really late- but…

APRIL FOOLS! X›D

Haunted

Chapter Fourteen: The Spider's Web

Inuyasha turned away, glittering golden eyes hidden behind snowy white bangs. "It's none of your business." He told Miroku shortly and folded his crimson-clad arms over his chest.

Miroku sighed irritably. The day had been very stressful so far… Thus, he wasn't in a very polite mood. Striding across the room and grabbing his family heirloom, the old golden staff, he hit the stubborn poltergeist on the back of the head with a calamity of jangling and outraged protests from Inuyasha. "What in all the hells-!" The demi-demon asked in outrage, the somber expression in his eyes bleeding out to be replaced by anger.

Without bothering to reply, the irate monk turned to the semi-spectral Kagome. "Can you please tell me what happened?" He asked with thinly veiled exasperation. Kagome paused and pulled her slightly transparent hand out of the couch slowly.

She shrugged and stared at her hand again in wonder. "I can't really say," She admitted, brow furrowed in thought. "After I was unconscious, all I remember was seeing Inuyasha and making him all colorful. Then I kinda… I don't know." She shrugged again and walked carefully around the room with measured steps. "I don't remember how I got where I was, or how I got out."

Miroku turned back to Inuyasha with a reproving look, staff jangling officiously in his hand. "You may not owe me any answers, but you do owe Kagome some. She could've died by what took place. In fact, I'm surprised that she's still alive." Kagome looked alarmed at that comment and Sango stared accusingly at the poltergeist.

Inuyasha took a deep breath, and let it out. "Fine." He said grudgingly. Talking. Explaining his life-story, or really, death-story. It was probably going to be one of the most difficult things he'd ever done. He could kill demons and survive five hundred years alone and isolated, but explaining… Kagome carefully walked over towards him and patted him reassuringly on his shoulder with an encouraging smile.

Maybe he could do it after all.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Hello!" The man banged against the door with his large fist impatiently. "This is the medic. I'm here for Keiko." The poor girl was probably dead, and he'd come out here for nothing… He looked back at his car in agitation.

The door flew open and a thoughtful looking man with brilliant purple eyes looked at him without recognition. "I'm afraid you have the wrong house. There is no 'Keiko' here." He informed the medic politely.

"You sure? I thought this was the house… for that dead girl…" The purple-eyed man's gaze hardened. "I mean, coma-girl." The older man assured hastily. "The coma-girl." He looked sideways at his companion, who sat in the ambulance. "You want us to take 'er to the hospital?" He asked bluntly and jabbed his callused thumb in the direction of the emergency vehicle.

The younger man shook his head in the negative. "That will not be necessary." He said smoothly, a touch of chilliness in his voice. "She has recovered, without help from the professionals." There was a sharp accent on the last word and the older man flinched.

"Then we'll be going." He grumbled and backed away. "If you don't need us," He added petulantly. He'd been dragged out all the way to this little town in the middle of nowhere by an angry woman for nothing.

"We don't." The purple-eyed man retorted shortly and shut the door in the paramedics face. The man blinked in surprise and stepped back slowly, grumbling as he made his way back up the drive, the gravel crunching under his large boots.

"I told them that they didn't need an ambulance." He griped irritably under his breath. "But no, they wouldn't listen. Had to drag us out here when other people are in danger. Inconsiderate whiners, the bunch of 'em." He slammed the vehicle's door and the other paramedic looked at him curiously. "False alarm." The first explained shortly.

"Great." The second paramedic sighed and started up the engine with a splutter of exhaust. "All this way for nothing." The other man nodded in agreement as they drove down the road and away from the house. "It was probably all a hoax."

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

How to begin, though? The poltergeist looked around the room at his companions uneasily and he shifted on his feet uncomfortably. "Just start from the beginning," Kagome offered with a smile. He nodded in the affirmative and took a deep breath.

"I living around the outskirts of a village-" Everyone looked at him in confusion. Miroku ran a hand through his black hair before hesitantly interrupting.

"What village?" He asked and sat down at the couch next to Sango with a heavy sigh. Warily, Sango moved slightly away just in case that Miroku didn't keep to his promises.

"I'm starting from the beginning." The poltergeist informed the monk. He was starting from the very beginning. He took another deep breath with lungs only barely there and began again. "At the time, I was living on the outskirts of a village protected by a priestess. She seemed to see me as a threat." He said bitterly. "But she didn't really try to chase me away or kill me. She just kept an eye on me." He paused for a moment as he thought about how to continue. "After a while, another influence appeared in the area. It was another demon, a hanyou who was really threatening the village that Kikyo, the priestess guarded. She said that it was too great a foe for her alone, and had enlisted the help of others. She asked for my help as well. At first, I refused because I thought that she was lying and just trying to get me stuck in her trap. No one likes a filthy hanyou hanging around their village." He sneered. Kagome winced and looked at him sadly. Life must've been hard for him…

Inuyasha stared at his feet as he continued. "But, she was kinder than the others. She wouldn't…" He hated complaining, telling the others about his past troubles. "She didn't whisper about me when she thought I was out of hearing or throw stuff at me." He said with bluntly. Kagome placed a pale hand on his shoulder. "And she was offering me compensation. This demon was killing things with its miasma alone. The sky was growing thick with black smoke that covered the sun and choked the plants. So I agreed to help."

Hesitantly, Miroku broke in, afraid that Inuyasha would shut himself up again if he asked the wrong question. "What type of 'compensation'?" Inuyasha looked at him sharply with haunted golden eyes that were simultaneously mocking and sardonic as he answered, his voice ringing harshly in the silent room.

"She offered a life where people wouldn't kick me out for being half demon, where I could live in peace and find love." He looked down at the floor. "I would me welcome at the village as its savior." He laughed in self-disgust. "And I actually believed her. So the next day I met up with the demon slayers that Kikyo had summoned and we went off to kill Naraku, the half demon." And that's when everything went wrong…

"We all attacked, of course. A few of the exterminators died, three were badly wounded. So they were out, and it was just me and Kikyo. I'm not sure what happened next. I was in the air, and then Kikyo hit me with the spell that made me a poltergeist. She probably thought that she'd might as well get both the demons." He shrugged carelessly as if the incident no longer bothered him.

Kagome wasn't buying it. She could see the way that his amber eyes flickered, the way his eyebrows lowered over his eyes as he frowned, his mouth a tight line. She patted his arm again, not knowing any other way to comfort the justifiably unhappy semi-poltergeist. He'd reject a hug or at least feel very uncomfortable, and there was nothing that she could say. And how horrible…

Inuyasha flinched slightly at her touch, but otherwise didn't react, his thoughts still occupied by the story he felt he had to get out. Kagome pulled back and he looked at her. The semi-erethral girl smiled encouragingly as if to say that everything was going to be fine. But that was Kagome for you. At the sight of someone else's problems, she immediately forgot her own and comforted the other person with a smile, even now when she was half dead.

Miroku cleared his throat loudly and Inuyasha looked at his feet again. He'd lost his train of thought, and all he could see was Kagome's smile. And the funny thing was, he felt better for some reason because of it. "What about Kagome?" The black-haired man asked gently.

Inuyasha looked up from his feet. They really weren't that interesting, anyway. "What?" He said, slightly startled. Miroku looked at him rather pointedly. "Oh yeah." He looked back down at the floor again with a strange intensity in his gaze. "I was in Oblivion-"

"What?" Sango asked, the hastily shut her mouth. It was rare for Inuyasha to open up so much and she didn't want to ruin it. Inuyasha stopped to explain, his voice low and slightly harsh.

"Oblivion. I don't know what it is exactly, but Oblivion. There's nothing." He shrugged, searching for a description. "There's… nothing there, but at the same time, you feel surrounded…"

Kagome cut in helpfully, having experienced it herself and being better at explaining. "It's absolutely nothing, neither cold nor warm. There's no sound, but at the same time, it's as if there were many people around you, thousands, whispering, because there's some sort of undertone to the silence, like your ears are muffled and their voices are just beyond hearing." She finished and shook her head ruefully. "That didn't make sense."

Inuyasha continued, staring off into the distance with a frown creasing his brow as he thought. "It's like being in a cloud." He said in a tone that could've been described as dreamy if it had been anyone but Inuyasha talking. Inuyasha was never dreamy. "And you're standing on something, but it's beyond understanding."

"You know there's something there and you look at it, your eyes see it, but your brain can't understand what it's seeing, or if it's seeing anything. You know that your eyes are working, but you don't see, really. The same with your ears. You can hear, but it's beyond comprehension. You don't know what you're hearing. It doesn't sound like anything, so it's like nothing, but something. You know that there's something, someone out there, but you don't know what." Kagome continued excitedly. Inuyasha nodded thoughtfully next to her in agreement.

"Okay…" Miroku said after a moment of processing the information. "I think I understand, or at least have an idea of what you're talking about." He ran a hand through his hair in bewilderment and Sango nodded at Inuyasha to continue.

"I was in Oblivion," Inuyasha began again. "and I was just thinking about… stuff. Kikyo." He admitted grudgingly when the others looked at him questioningly. "And then I felt her nearby and she said something." At this point, he couldn't really remember what it was, though. "And then something appeared with a flash of light and then she was standing before me." He didn't go into the details of the conversation. That part didn't concern them. "Then she fell over and started to fade back. The pink light was swirling around her and she disappeared. When the light faded, Kagome was there." He swallowed hard at the state the girl had been in. Next to him, Kagome bit her lip and didn't say anything. "And then she kept touching me-" Miroku raised his eyebrows suggestively and Inuyasha snapped at him, face coloring. "Not like that, idiot!" Miroku nodded hastily in agreement, that little twinkle nonetheless glimmering in his eye all the while.

"Because," Inuyasha ground out, the words directed at the monk, "Where she touched me, I got colorful." He fingered the material of his haori and looked at the sheepish girl next to him pointedly. "When I was colorful enough for her," Inuyasha flushed again and stared at Miroku, who was grinning like an idiot. Sango took action with a nearby newspaper and the lecherous monk moved away to nurse his injured head. "As I was saying," Inuyasha continued again. "she then keeled over and fell asleep. I dragged her here after a while."

Kagome looked at him in confusion. "You did? I don't remember anything." She admitted with a shrug of spectral shoulders and tucked a stray wisp of black hair behind her ear. Sango and Miroku bickered in the background about their famous Uno game.

"Well, you were unconscious." Inuyasha stated the obvious with a shrug of his own. "After you were asleep for a while, I tried to take you out and you ended up being a ball of smoke in my hands." He didn't mention that this ball was grey when he took it out and had started to fall apart. He also didn't say that he'd given back half her life force to keep the thing together, but at the same time let him hold it in his hands. Nor did he tell her that when he'd come out of oblivion, he'd been completely alive. After all, that didn't matter. She was fine now, or as close to fine as could be… "Take it." He put his hand out suddenly. "Take your life back."

Kagome looked at him in surprise and backed away. "No, you keep it." She said stubbornly. "I want you to." Inuyasha looked back, just as obstinate, a strange intensity burning in his gaze as he stared at her.

"No." He said rather hoarsely. "It's your life. I can't keep it." He put his hand in her face again and Kagome shoved it away feebly, the exhaustion she was trying to hide revealed in her weak attempts and stifled yawns as she got up off the couch.

"No!" She retorted. "I gave it to you! I want you to have it! We can share!" Inuyasha pushed his hand in her face again. "I told you, no!" Kagome repeated with another yawn. "And I'm not taking 'no' for an answer. You're keeping it. Like I said before," She blinked heavily and started to stumble out of the room and up the stairs, Inuyasha following her and waving his hand in her face as they argued.

"No!" Inuyasha protested, amber eyes smoldering into hers with vehemence. "I can't accept your **life**!" Kagome turned the corner, yawning hugely as she answered back.

"Learn to live with it." She informed him stubbornly. "Because I'm not taking it back. You're keeping it." The demi-poltergiest grabbed the ghostly girl's shoulder and she spun with a squeak. Inuyasha stared with concentration at his hand, willing the color to go back into her. "No!" Kagome cried and willed back. Inuyasha reeled back, feeling more lively than before as Kagome staggered into her room through the wall with a little effort on her part- it was like walking through water- and collapsed on her bed without further ado, Inuyasha close on her heels and protesting loudly.

"Take it back! Now I have over half! Kagome!" He tried to follow her through the wall and hit the very solid barrier with a thump, falling back on the ground with surprise. He'd **definitely** gotten more than half of her life… Inuyasha headed towards the door again, intent on the spectral girl. He slammed open the door and stood in the doorway irately, glaring at her with anger until he caught her condition. Kagome was asleep, her bangs falling into her eyes.

His irate expression smoothing into one more thoughtful, Inuyasha sat on the edge of the bed and it sank a bit under his weight. In the middle, Kagome made barely a dent. Without thinking, a clawed hand reached out and gently pulled the bangs out of her eyes. His own golden amber orbs widening in surprise, his pulled his hand back quickly and sprang away from the bed, a flush staining his face and heart thundering in his flesh-and blood chest. What was **wrong** with him?

He stood, huffing, staring at Kagome. Why was he so, so… what? He didn't really want to think about it. Slowly, Kagome's undisturbed expression and deep breathing soothed his nerves, that same deep thoughtfulness burning in his eyes as he thought. With a tentative sigh, Inuyasha moved towards the door, then stopped and turned around abruptly, one hand half raised. He glanced back at the sleeping form on the bed and headed back over, grabbing a light sheet from a pile of fresh bedding on Kagome's chair. She'd forgotten to change her bed again this week. Unfolding it hastily, he draped it gently over Kagome, aware that a heavier blanket would probably sink right through her. He turned away swiftly and hurried out of the doorway without looking back.

He didn't notice the warm brown eyes in a pale grey face that followed his exit.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Coming out of Kagome's bedroom, I see." Miroku nodded in approval at the flustered poltergeist. "Congratulations." Inuyasha immediately whapped Miroku in the head with the nearest object, which just happened to be Shippo.

"Hey!" The kitsune protested. "What did I ever do to you!" He shut his mouth abruptly and scurried away before Inuyasha had time to reflect on that question. Miroku rubbed his head where Shippo had collided with it.

"Ouch." He commented wryly and looked at the poltergeist in bemusement. "Weren't you a bit more immaterial last time I saw you?" He asked curiously.

Inuyasha growled upon remembering the events of earlier. "Kagome gave me more of her life force." He griped. "When I was trying to give her back the rest of it that I had." Miroku nodded in appreciation.

"She is a very giving person. Self-sacrificing." The purple-eyed man noted thoughtfully. Inuyasha turned on him, slight confusion and bewilderment being flooded by something else in his eyes.

"I didn't ask for it." He hissed. "I didn't want her to do it." He couldn't accept her life; it was too strange, too much for her to give. It wasn't right, despite how much he yearned to join the living permanently. It wasn't worth Kagome, he realized, then shoved that train of thought out of his head. "And now she's exhausted and in barely better shape than I was before!" Before. Before… everything. Before life, really.

Miroku nodded solemnly, then frowned. "But she doesn't have the spell…so does it mean that she's actually-?" Miroku stared at Inuyasha's neck for a moment. He snapped his fingers and hurried away down the hallway with a gleam in his eyes, leaving a bewildered semi-poltergeist in his wake.

"Huh?" The poltergeist scratched his head and shrugged, turning down the hallway with the kitchen in mind. There was a knock at the front door as Inuyasha passed it and curiously he opened it on a baggage-laden Mrs. Higurashi, returning from her shopping extravaganza.

"Oh! Well, Inuyasha!" The older woman didn't miss a beat. "Could you take these into the kitchen, please?" She unloaded an armful of groceries upon him and hurried back to the car, exclaiming something about milk and eggs. With a look of surprise on his face, he managed to balance the groceries and take them into the kitchen.

He wandered back into the entryway; unsure is he was still supposed to help. Mrs. Higurashi passed him on her way in, laden down with more shopping bags. "Inuyasha!" She called from the kitchen and the hanyou stood in the entryway uneasily. "Would you mind helping me unload the car? All the stuff's in the trunk, by the way." The older woman hurried by industrially, Inuyasha tagging along reluctantly. He followed her out the door and down the walk, the bits of gravel crunching beneath his callused feet. "So, Inuyasha," Mrs. Higurashi turned to look at him as she handed him a grocery bag. "How did you get like this?" She indicated his body and handed him another bag.

Inuyasha gulped. "Maybe you should ask Kagome about that," he offered. What would she do when she found that her daughter had essentially switched existences with him? However she would react, he was sure that it wouldn't be good. He sighed. She might kick him out of the house…

The older woman frowned at the curious answer but didn't pursue the matter further. "I see." She grabbed another grocery bag and closed the trunk door on the empty interior. The two of them walked up the drive in silence, Mrs. Higurashi catching onto Inuyasha's contemplative mood.

They entered the house, both laden down with groceries, and dumped their packages in the kitchen. "Thanks for the help." Mrs. Higurashi told the former-poltergeist cheerfully. Inuyasha nodded wordlessly and walked out of the room. Mrs. Higurashi shrugged and went about putting the food away as the hanyou sauntered into the living room.

He walked towards the wall in the direction of the garden, and then into it. Rubbing his nose ruefully, he remembered that, as a flesh-and-blood life form, he'd have to use doors. He fiddled with the lock on the door –he'd never had to use it before- and managed to slide it open.

With the short grass swishing against the pads of his callused feet and a warm breeze toying with his white hair, the demi-demon wandered over towards the grave marker. "Kikyo…" He sighed, the shook his head. He didn't want to think about it. Moving quickly away from the resting place of the one who confined him, Inuyasha leaped with only a little clumsiness into the big tree on the edge of the garden.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

Miroku had a bit of thinking to do.

And what was a better way to do so than by bouncing ideas off of another person? Shippo would not do. Neither would Souta. He didn't even know the kid that well. "Where's Sango…?"He wondered aloud as he wandered aimlessly down hallways and peeked into empty rooms. She was the perfect candidate.

"Hm." He couldn't seem to find her. "She's probably out somewhere." He shrugged unconcernedly and turned down a flight of stairs, intent on the library. It was still a bit of a mess, but a nice, empty room to think in.

The doors admitted him into the room with a creaking sigh. Gently closing them behind him, Miroku turned to find a good place to sit. "Well, Sango!" The purple-eyed man exclaimed in surprise. The exterminator turned, equally surprised, a small book in hand. Hastily, she stuck the book out of view and turned towards him.

"Hello." She greeted hastily and started to edge towards the door. "I was just going, actually, so I'll be seeing you around later then!" She babbled, her back still to him and the book out of view as she hurried towards the door.

"Wait a moment." Miroku said soothingly. "I just wanted to talk." What was she so edgy about? Sango stopped and looked at him curiously. "What've you got there?" Miroku asked.

Sango looked rather solemn as she replied. "A family picture album. Just a little small one." Miroku nodded without saying anything and didn't pursue the matter further. "If that's all…" Sango trailed off and the monk shook his head.

"I'm actually curious about Kagome's present state…" He said slowly and the exterminator shook her head as she sat down on the floor again, the family album lying next to her on the ground.

"I don't know much about spells and that stuff. I just know a little lore because of my family's heritage." She shrugged. "You should ask Mr. Higurashi, he knows more than me."

"But he's busy." Miroku countered and sat down across from her, picking at piece of splintered wood on the floor. "And you know enough." He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "I'm actually thinking that the exterminators that faced off against that demon, Naraku, might be your ancestors. After all, I'm assuming that the battle took place in this area." Sango nodded in agreement.

"I was thinking the same thing," she admitted. "He said some survived, but were injured. It matches an old story passed down from generations back…" She trailed off as realization hit. "Hey! I know the story!" She exclaimed.

Miroku nodded in agreement. "I thought you might." Sango nodded again as she stared at the floor. "But I'm wondering how Kagome ended up how she is," the monk continued. Sango looked up at him with interest. "Because just giving Inuyasha some of her life wouldn't affect her so. If I understand this correctly, she'd just be exhausted spiritually. It wouldn't effect her physical state, only her spiritual. So how has she become spectral?"

Sango frowned in thought before answering. "You're saying that something else is happening. Kagome's hasn't given Inuyasha her life force, but she's doing something else, probably to the spell?" The exterminator asked, absently petting the fire cat that sat on her lap and stared at Miroku with bright eyes.

"That's what I was thinking," Miroku admitted. "I believe that Kagome is somehow sucking the spell into herself." Sango nodded slowly. It made sense. Kirara mewed as she looked up to Sango and the exterminator began petting the small demon again.

"How?" She asked simply. Miroku shrugged, then sighed. He rested his chin on his hand as he continued to pick at the splinter of wood. "You don't know, do you?" Sango interpreted.

"I don't." Miroku replied and looked up from the fragment of wood. "And… something else has been bugging me." He said delicately, unsure of how to phrase his question. "The demon Kagura." Sango's eyes hardened. "What role does she play? Why did she kill your family?"

"Extermination." Sango replied simply and unconsciously placed a hand on the small book by her side. "She's tied to my past, I'm sure." Sango paused to think before continuing. "My family killed hundreds of demons over the years, possibly thousands. I don't know. But I'm sure that it was some sort of payback."

"Naraku?" Miroku asked hesitantly. "Could he be behind it?" He drummed his fingers on the side of his face as he thought.

"No." Sango shook her head firmly. "That I'm sure about. Naraku was killed." Kirara mewed uncertainly on her lap and Sango looked down with her brow creased into a slight frown. "But then again…" She trailed off.

"What?" Miroku asked, curious about the interaction between demon and exterminator. Sango looked back to him, a slightly thoughtful look in her eyes as she responded.

"I don't know how old Kirara is, really. I've heard that demons can live for close to forever. I have a feeling that she might've been there when Naraku was laid to rest." The little cat didn't respond to Sango's implied question and merely began to wash her paws.

"Hm." Miroku nodded thoughtfully. "I've heard the same thing about demon's life spans. I wonder how old Shippo is?" He mused. He turned back to the exterminator sitting across from him. "You're sure –absolutely positive- that Naraku is dead?" He asked carefully.

Sango shook her head slowly. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "All I know was that he was defeated. I took that to mean that he was dead and gone." She paused. "After all, it's not like he's still around, is it?"

"I doubt it." Miroku replied. "I would think that it was another demon." But even he had heard on the demon Naraku, a cruel and manipulative scourge that had wreaked havoc upon ancient Japan. As he'd done his research, he'd run across references and little mentionings of the demon so shrouded in dark mystery. And from what he'd read, it was a very good thing that this enigmatic personality was gone.

The dark-haired young woman across looked down to the fire cat in her lap again. "I think you're right." She said solemnly. "Although…" She trailed off into thought.

"Yes?" The purple-eyed monk asked after a moment's silence. Sango shook her head and kept her eyes on Kirara.

"Nevermind." It was probably nothing.

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

"Kanna." The voice echoed in her mind, so familiar yet so alien. Cold and unforgiving, soft and cruel as it kept everything hidden inside the dark urn of its concealment. "Show me."

There were no words in return, merely an inclination of a small white-haired head as the dark eyes in the pale face stared into the little silver mirror upon her white-clad lap. In fact, Kanna had not spoken for over two weeks. It was never necessary. The surface of the mirror clouded until milky white. Kanna focused her attention and her creator's desire upon the mirror.

The surface cleared, revealing a tall woman striding strongly through the middle of a grassy field, shading her eyes from the sun. Kanna could tell that Naraku knew this person. And if Naraku knew her, she'd have to be very old indeed.

"Ah, yes." Naraku's voice held a sliver of satisfaction in it. "Tsubaki is still around, is she? I wouldn't expect anything less from her, of course." The mirror clouded over again at another unspoken command by the consciousness in the urn and cleared to reveal another scene as Naraku carefully wove his delicate web and set his plans.

(•.•)

( • )--

"Kagome?" Mrs. Higurashi knocked on the door to her daughter's bedroom. "Are you awake?" There was a muffled groan from the inside in response. "Kagome," the girl's mother tried again. "It's almost dinner! Are you alright?" There was another unintelligible sound from inside and the older woman started to open the door.

"No! Don't come in!" Kagome's voice rang out clearly in alarm. Mrs. Higurashi hastily moved away from the door in respect to her daughter's privacy.

"Kagome?" She asked concernedly. "Is there something wrong, dear?" Her voice rang out in the hallway. There was a rustling of sheets before Kagome answered.

"Can I discuss it with you later?" She asked. "I'm just exhausted right now…" in proof, there was a loud yawn from the other side of the door. "I just wanna sleep a bit first…" The older woman frowned in suspicion. Something wasn't right… Parental alarms went off in her head as she connected Inuyasha's curious statement from earlier to her daughter's current behavior.

"Kagome!" Her mother said sharply. "What happened?" She demanded, her tone slightly sharp. She trusted her daughter completely; she'd never given her any reason not to, but she couldn't help but be a bit suspicious.

"It's a long story, but everything's fine-" There was another yawn. "I don't have the energy right now though, sorry-" And yet another yawn. "But if you really want to know, Miroku, Sango, or Inuyasha can give you a more detailed story than I can right now." There was another loud yawn. Obviously, Kagome wasn't able to talk at the moment.

Mrs. Higurashi nodded to herself, feeling a bit relieved. It seemed like every time she left, something happened. She wasn't sure what she'd expected, but she was glad to know that everything was fine. "Thanks, dear." She called through the door. Kagome responded with a deep sigh; she was asleep already. The older woman smiled ruefully as she walked down the hallway in search of one of the other members of the household.

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

"So it's settled." Kagura confirmed, arms folded across her chest as she scrutinized the withered woman standing a few feet from her. "Don't forget to hold up your end of the bargain," she advised, idly waving her fan in an ominous way, scarlet eyes focused on the other woman.

"Don't get impudent, now." The ancient priestess's voice cackled like dry leaves in October. "I won't forget. And you would do well to hold up your end of the bargain, too." The threat wasn't an idle one, the wind witch knew. She bowed curtly and tossed a feather almost carelessly upon the wind and took off, sending only once glance over her shoulder at the dark-robed figure.

"Hmph." She knew from prior experience that Naraku had no intention of holding up a bargain of any kind; when finished with Tsubaki, she'd undoubtedly have met a convenient end unpaid. "What a fool of a woman." She drummed her fingers impatiently against the pinions of her vessel.

After her previous defeat, Naraku had her running degrading little errands and small tasks that she certainly didn't relish. She stared out longingly at the unending horizon, the urge to just take off and fly away welled up inside her again and she squashed it down firmly, turning back to look at her destination; Tokyo.

Some day, she would fly free. "Free…" She whispered, the one powerful syllable ripped from her lips by the wind as it streamed by, tugging at her shirt and blowing her unruly black bangs across her forehead. "Free…" The word, a delicious rebellion upon her thoughts and her lips, tasted so good, so unattainable, that she could only just whisper it as if afraid that someone would hear.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Four weeks and two days." The shriveled old woman rolled up her long black sleeves and pushed her thick white hair away from her face. "Why four weeks and two days?" She grabbed a small twist of newspaper and deftly ripped it in half above a wooden board inscribed with strange, violent slashes that formed equally dark and vicious kanji symbols. She grabbed another twist of newspaper out of a haphazardly organized cupboard and carefully untwisted it above the board. She winced slightly at the loud bang and the puff of smoke that appeared. Slowly, the smoke took a humanoid form with grosquetely long arms and leering eyes.

"You called, mistress?" Its voice echoed as though from a distant place, cackling with electric energy as it grinned unpleasantly at the old woman. "What would you have me do?" Long, twisted fingers twitched excitedly from powerful hands connected to large wrists. Any chance to venture into life, even at the bidding of another, was certainly worth doing. "But of course you did. What's this about Naraku's scheming? I, too, wonder of the timing." The beast added smugly.

The withered woman backed away. Even after so many years, she hadn't gotten used to Goshinki's abilities. "Don't be alarmed. Or have you forgotten about my abilities? You did." The ancient woman cleared her throat before speaking, but the demon already knew what she was thinking. "I see." He cackled gleefully, wickedly curved teeth revealed in a sickening grin. "At last I shall be reunited with my brethren."

The black-robed woman nodded uneasily and grabbed another twist of newspaper. "Four weeks, two days." She reminded and started to untwist the old paper.

"Letting me go so quickly?" Goshinki taunted. "I would think that you'd like to chat about old times." The grin widened significantly. "Four weeks, two days!" He crowed gleefully. "I shall be waiting, mistress." She nodded curtly and sprinkled the dry grey powder over the little apparition and it sank back into smoke again. The ancient woman sighed in relief. She'd never like dealing with Goshinki, not five hundred years ago, not now.

"And now the others…" With a sigh, the withered old woman grabbed a handful of newspaper packets and a few dried plants as withered as herself. "Kageromaru…" She grabbed another wooden board and slashed fresh kanji upon the blank surface with a ceremonial dirk. Now **there** was a demon she could handle. The snake curled around her crooked shoulders and hunched back hissed softly as another wisp of grey curled up from the center of the grey board.

"Ah, look who it is." Why did all of Naraku's progeny mock her? "It's been quite a while, hasn't it?" The little demon asked wickedly, smoky white hair falling across his back. "And what would you ask of me?"

The ancient priestess sighed and explained her part. "Four weeks, two days." She finished and grabbed a final newspaper twist. "Tell Juromaru, will you?" The smaller and more intelligent of the pair nodded, a satisfied smirk firmly in place upon his small face.

"I won't forget." He gloated. "Ah, to be alive again! His strange scythe arms clicked together with the little demon's ecstasy. "I certainly won't forget." He repeated and disappeared with a puff of smoke.

"Naraku…" The old woman muttered to her self as she prepared yet another spell, this one involving some dried leaves and a little pail filled with fine black sand. "This shall certainly cost you…" She wasn't the only one with an alternate agreement in her head.

Treachery was a common thing among those on the darker side of life and death.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Uh oh." Miroku muttered out of the side of his mouth to Sango as Mrs. Higurashi approached the kitchen table where the two of them had finally come to a conclusion upon Kagome's situation. Both of them were exceptionally stubborn in their own way: Sango stood my her own theory and quietly stated her thoughts, Miroku simply kept by his own opinion and told her why she was wrong and he was right. In the end, they'd finally reached an agreement: Kagome had absorbed Inuyasha's spell, simultaneously letting him regain his own life back.

"This doesn't look to good," Sango agreed. The look on the older woman's face promised trouble. There was a slightly worried, apprehensive look in her brown eyes and the way she kept turning around to look back up to the staircase. She sat down at the table with the pair.

"Hello." Mrs. Higurashi greeted pleasantly, her hands twisting in her skirt with obvious apprehension. Before either of them had time to return the sentiment, the concerned mother blurted out, "Kagome told me to ask you about something." They both looked at eachother in astonishment. "So, I'm asking you." She smiled rather calmly.

Another agreement was made through eye communication. "Ah," Miroku spoke for the both of them. "I see." He smiled reassuringly. "Now, Kagome's quite alright, just a little tired." Mrs. Higurashi nodded in agreement as she waited for him to continue. Miroku cleared his throat before continuing. "There was an interesting little incident earlier today…" Sango smiled in spite of herself.

Miroku could make millions if he wanted to in the justice system.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

Inuyasha picked at the bark of the towering tree that he was sitting in as he thought. He'd been out for hours, his thoughts turning around and around in an endless circle. So what now? He couldn't –shouldn't – keep what was rightfully Kagome's. Her life. It still blew him away. She'd given up her life for him, literally. Of course, soon she'd want it back after the novelty of being transparent wore off. And then she'd ask for it back… right?

What did it matter? She was getting it back whether she wanted to or not. He'd force it on her. But at the same time, he wanted to badly to be alive. There was no question about his actions, of course. She was going to live, he was going to be the poltergeist. The thing that was frightening him was that he wasn't sure that if it was up to him and not an obligation, if he had been in Kagome's place, would he have done the same thing? Would he willingly, obligingly, without hesitation, give up his life for her out of free will?

But really, he realized, that wasn't what was worrying him. What was worrying him was if Kagome would give up not her life for him –she'd already done that, in a way- but her existence. Would she die for him? It alarmed him to no end and he didn't know why. Her past actions refuted his opinion on the matter; she'd put herself in obvious danger to protect him. She'd stood in front of death –Kagura- with no weapon but a piece of wood. He snorted. What a weapon! And there was no doubt that Kagura would be back. What would happen then?

Yes, he thought. He'd give up his life for Kagome. He would. And that frightened him, too. Roughly four hundred years ago or so –he couldn't' remember when he'd first regained consciousness after being sealed away- he'd sworn to himself that he was never, ever going to be turned by anyone again. Essentially, he'd given up on love. It had already killed him once.

"So what now?" He asked the darkening sky as the leaves swayed and rustled meaninglessly in the cool evening wind. The first stars twinkled in the celestial ceiling as a tiny sliver of pale moon glowed softly. He reveled in the cool evening air, the chirping of crickets, the rough bark that pressed into his skin. He didn't want be a poltergeist again.

But it was still better than Kagome being like that.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Mmmf." Kagome rolled over, eyes still tightly shut as she willed herself to sleep again. She was still so exhausted…

"Hey." Kagome said up with a shriek, her ghostly flesh sinking through the sheet as she looked around the room with sleep-blurred eyes. Ah, It was just Inuyasha, sitting in the chair by the door.

"Hello…" She yawed hugely and pushed her bangs out of her face. He looked as if he was in a particularly solemn mood, his amber eyes flickering slightly as he approached her. Feeling suddenly nervous for some reason, Kagome sat up completely and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

He put his hand out slowly and the spectral girl blinked. "Take it back." He said hoarsely. Kagome backed away from the offered hand, stubbornly turning her head away.

"No." She refused flatly. Inuyasha sighed in exasperation. She wasn't making this any easier… He shoved his hand under her nose again.

"It's not a question. It's a request." He retorted. "Take back your life." He couldn't tell her how hard it was for him to do this… He realized that his hand was now nowhere near her as Kagome stood on the other side of the bed, arms folded stubbornly across her chest.

"And I'm refusing." She told him firmly again. "I gave it to you, you're keeping it. I don't want it back!" That wasn't entirely true, but she wanted him to be alive again. He'd spent five hundred years as a poltergeist; she could spend however long it lasted as something similar. He deserved to be alive. But what if it was forever…?

"You don't get it!" He waved his arms in the air to emphasize his point. "I can't keep your **life**!" He huffed for a moment in silence as Kagome digested his statement.

"Yes, you can." She said quietly after a moment, her gaze fixed on the ground as if there was something there that fascinated her. "It's a gift. I want you to keep it. You deserve it." She smiled and looked up at him. "After all, I like knowing what it was like for you." With a final glance at the stunned hanyou, she walked purposefully through the wall and into the adjacent room, leaving Inuyasha alone with his confused thoughts.

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

Tokyo.

Personally, Kagura hated the place. It was so cramped and confined, people bustling to and fro without a second thought, all of them caught up in their own little worlds. The air was filled with the sounds of everyday life, people talking, shoes scuffing the sidewalk, doors opening and closing to let people in and out of small shops.

Buildings towered above, blocking out the sunlight to the ground below. Worst of all, there was no space for her. She couldn't breathe clearly; smoke, the smell of food, thick, cloying perfume all choked the air. The space between the buildings was no place to fly; little wind could navigate the small gaps between them. For the umpteenth time that day, she wondered how anyone could stand living in such an overpopulated area. Her nose wrinkled in distain as a crowd of school girls pushed past, giggling and talking wildly.

And how was she supposed to recognize one individual in this entire jungle of people? From the left, she heard an exclamation of babbled talk in an unrecognizable language. The wind witch turned and noticed an absolutely filthy man sitting on the ground among a pile of newspapers and ancient, worn rugs. A homeless nutter by any other reputation, Kagura recognized him for who he truly was. Wicked black eyes gleamed at her through thick black lashes, an untamed and bushy beard wobbling as he babbled something else.

Purposefully, the currently brown-eyed demon walked purposefully over towards the "crazy man". Without further ado –no greetings were exchanged, none were wanted- she sat down next him and dropped a large bag that clattered as it hit the ground in front of him. "Careful!" The man squealed in intelligible Japanese at last. "I can't have them cracked in any way, you understand me!"

Kagura rolled her eyes. "I don't give a damn about your precious skulls," A few passersby flinched at turned towards the conversation with a perverse curiosity and Kagura stared them down. "But," she continued in a quieter tone of voice to keep from attracting attention. "I need a sword. I'm sure you remember the arrangement…?" She trailed off slowly, letting the silent threat hang in the air as she carelessly pulled out her fan.

The strange man nodded hastily and scurried down a nearby alley, where Kagura assumed he lived. As soon as he was out of the light, his appearance changed drastically. Before her stood a short stocky man with a weedy mustache and a balding head. That in itself wasn't very out of the ordinary. It was the pointy ears of a demon and the little horns on his head that set him apart. "Kajin-Bo." Kagura greeted the sword maker curtly, her own appearance altering slightly to reveal her own set of pointed ears and scarlet eyes. "You have what we ordered?"

"Yes." Carefully, reverently, the demon sword smith pulled out a wrapped bundle wrapped in black cloth and tied with coarse black string, a small leaf and a sutra kept still on top. "You might want to wait until you need to use the sword to unwrap it." Kajin-Bo chuckled with dark mirth as the wind-witch looked at him with raised brows.

"Do you take me for a fool?" She snapped. The sword smith's laughter died down slowly as he opened the bag of skulls he'd been promised in return. He nodded his head in satisfaction and looked back up at Kagura.

"Let me ask you this." He closed the back and carefully hid it behind some unidentifiable baggage. "Do you know what that sword will do to the wielder?" Kagura nodded sharply and started to walk away. "One more thing," he added casually. "Do you know who is to use it?" Kagura stopped abruptly and turned,

"I'm aware." She said sharply, voice clipped. "And I have no reason to fear." Without care, she plucked the white feather from her bun and leaped aboard. She couldn't go back through the way she'd come with such a sword on her.

As she swooped away, Kajin-Bo shook his head ruefully and laughed lightly. "Fools." He'd forged the sword himself; he knew what was going to happen.

But then again, it didn't concern him. He'd played his part and had been rewarded. He didn't care what happened to the entirety of the world as he knew it; he remembered the past. "Another Sengoku Jidai, or something like it." He hummed to himself as he considered the idea.

"Sounds good to me."

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"I…" Despite Miroku calm and reasonable exterior, he was waiting with baited breath for the older woman's response. "…see." She said after a moment, looking rather confused and lost. "Is…" She gulped. "Is Kagome stuck like this?"

Miroku shook his head fervently. "I should hope not!" He exclaimed. "No, I think that if she can remove the spells influence upon Inuyasha and pull it in upon herself, she should be able to put it somewhere else." He wasn't sure where, but she should be able to do so. Sango nodded in agreement. She hadn't said a single word during Miroku verbose explanation. "Actually, the whole thing is only temporary. After a while, the spell will wear off of Kagome because there's nothing on her to continue it's influence, and at the same time, the spell on Inuyasha will slowly renew itself." That is, if that was the type of spell that they were dealing with. It could be one laid on the urn, whose influence would now be turned upon Kagome, and then she'd be stuck. It was unlikely, however, because Kikyo would've needed weeks upon months to complete a spell like that.

And if he was right, the might be able to take the spell off of Inuyasha once and for all.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

AN: And the plot thickens… (Or is it just stupidly melodramatic?)

As per usual:

Questions? Comments? Any editing necessary? I always like to know!


	15. State of Flux

AN: Well, here's some more… sorry about the sloppy editing last chapter! I had very little time to throw all these ideas together… and I was constantly interrupted! Heh…

And now for some responses (Thanks to you guys who reviewed!):

Auxana: Thank you! And I WILL NOT stop writing any time soon! It's great to know that you like it. Thanks again!

Sessychansbestpal: Thank you thank you thank you! Yes, I've heard the Killers, and Good Charlotte, and Green Day. (A few of my friends are going to their concert, I'm not sure when it is, but the ticket price is already outrageous.)

FFchick: Thanks! I'm glad that you find the chapters long enough. About the Kagome-life-giving-to-Inuyasha thing (Terrible grammar, I know. Very sorry.), I think that Inuyasha is already –in the series- incredibly devoted to Kagome, and his ties to Kikyo are from past love, strong loyalty and devotion, and guilt. Guilt being very strong in that mix. But what he feels for Kagome seems more… well, ya know. (Man, my current control of the English language is terrible.) Inuyasha really loves Kagome, I think. But yes, it seems to me that he is indeed very devoted to Kagome!

Tiamath: Thanks! I do try to keep the chapters nice and long… in fact I've been trying to lengthen chapter one as I go along writing the others, adding a bit here and there. (It's already three pages longer.) Sorry 'bout the errors! I'll go back and correct it at some point… but thanks for the heads up!

Rin sama1989: (Don't worry, we all babble. Or at least, I know I do!) Thanks! It's nice knowing what you like. Really helps, knowing what's working and what's not, and all that stuff. And here is the update!

NewSalemWitch: Well, I wouldn't say **soon** as to when Inuyasha's getting freed, but for someone who's been waiting five hundred years, it's not very long to wait! (I've got something up my sleeve for Naraku, though the thought of putting the horrid thing on Naraku had crossed my mind…) Yeah… about the editing… I know it's crap. They need to put something a little more sophisticated than the basic spell check on Microsoft Word. Very sorry! I'll fix when I look over the story, I promise!

I'm happy that you're happy with Kagura! (Too much "happy" there…) I've recently developed a strong feeling of empathy and kindness towards Kagura, after reading her death (wahh!) and the events that took place before it. I mean, I have vol. 1-21 of the manga and read EP summaries off of inuyashaworld, but I forgot how in the end, she's really rather compassionate and friendly to the Inuyasha group. Which makes her death all the more… well, depressing and all.

Yeah, last chapter was rather slapdash and I didn't use quite as much proverbial glue to stick the little bits together as I should've. That's one of the things I'm gonna go back over once I finish this thing. (I'm estimating six more chapters and an epilogue… not sure, though!) No, Inuyasha doesn't know about how Kagome is neutralizing the spell yet. Miroku and Sango were just talking about it amongst themselves while Inuyasha was doing whatever he was doing. (I've already forgotten, isn't that horrible?)

I like responding to the reviews as well, because people always ask questions, or say nice things-, which I really truly appreciate, and I like to say thanks and answer the questions. (Ipso facto, I don't think I would've gotten past the fifth chapter –if that- without all the help and critiquing of my work that I've gotten. SO THANK YOU ALL!)

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, my name, first of all, wouldn't be Jessica. But it **is** Jessica. And I would live in Japan, and I would be a lot older and smarter and richer. (Not to imply that Rumiko Takahashi is ancient because she isn't at all, I'm just saying that I'm a bit of a squirt.) To add to that, I'm not very bright, I don't have a lot of money, and I'm not living in Japan.) And, of course, I would be very, very famous.

Haunted

Chapter Fifteen: State of Flux

Kagura sidled uneasily to the other end of her airborne transport, away from the dangerous sword. She shuddered involuntarily. She knew what the sword was supposed to do. Suddenly, her scarlet eyes widened. She had the perfect bargaining tool… "Free…" She breathed, staring at the dark bundle on the other edge of the feather. She had in her possession quite possibly the thing most desired by Naraku: his own freedom. And maybe he'd be willing to trade his for hers….

The wind witch snorted in disgust at her own naïveté. He was Naraku, after all. He would not take kindly to being tricked. He would have no qualms with killing her in an instant and taking the sword from her. No, best to wait, bide her time.

And maybe add another feature to the sword… A wicked gleam in her scarlet eyes, Kagura abruptly swooped in another direction, her winds carrying her to another direction, away from Naraku and towards a likely ally. Hopefully, Tsubaki would be willing to listen, for a price of course. After all, she was not fond of Naraku either.

Perhaps the dark priestess could be persuaded to help, in more ways than one.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Kagome?"

Mrs. Higurashi rapped her knuckles against the door gently, a small worried frown creasing her forehead. Despite Miroku's assuring words –or perhaps because of them, he'd sounded like a doctor that was trying to assure someone that their dying loved one was okay- she was still apprehensive. Was Kagome all right?

"Huh?" She just sounded a bit sleepy, but other than that she didn't sound upset or apprehensive. "Mom, is that you?" She asked through the door. "Did you talk to Sango or Miroku?"

"I did." She sighed. "But are you sure that you're okay?" She reaffirmed, still standing outside the door. She could hear Kagome hum in the affirmative, and suddenly she was through the door and in front of her in the hall, looking a bit uncertain. Mrs. Higurashi was silent.

Kagome watched her mother with hesitant grey eyes. How would her mother react? She wasn't worried about what she'd do or say to her, she was more worried about how Inuyasha would react to whatever her mother would say. He was obviously unused to a parental figure yelling at him, let alone a parental figure at all. "Mom…?" She asked carefully.

"You did a kind thing today." She smiled at her daughter, who looked surprised. "And I'm not mad." She added with a grin. "I just wanted to make sure that you were okay." Kagome nodded and ran a hand through her hair.

"I'm fine." She confirmed with a shrug. It was no big deal, after all. Mrs. Higurashi looked carefully at her daughter's face, just to make sure. With a nod, she walked down the hallway.

The older woman turned suddenly, her smile bright and strong in her face. "I'm proud of you." She added. "You made a big sacrifice." She smiled once again and continued down the hallway, her destination the garden.

Kagome paused, watching her mother as she walked down the hallway with puzzlement. She was wrong. It hadn't been hard to give Inuyasha a life that he justly deserved at all. For her, being the way she was now wasn't a sacrifice. She didn't mind being in the state she was.

At least, not if it meant Inuyasha was alive.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Where's Inuyasha, anyway?" Sango looked across the table to Miroku. Neither of them had gone anywhere since Mrs. Higurashi had gone up to Kagome's room. "We should tell him your thoughts on the curse."

Miroku nodded in agreement. "I don't know where he is, though." He frowned and glanced around the room as if he expected the hanyou to pop out from behind the couch. He shrugged. "Don't know." He repeated.

Sango rolled her eyes. Was it just Miroku, or were all guys so lazy? The exterminator got up from her seat at the table. "Then we'll just have to go look for him." She told the purple-eyed man. Miroku conveniently watched in appreciation as Sango turned her back to him and walked out of the room. "Are you coming or not?" she asked, unaware that his eyes had been resting on her behind.

He got up from the table and sighed. Two more weeks, and he'd be free of his deal with Sango. Clean thoughts… he was so sick of "Clean Thoughts". Out of habit, Sango made sure that the purple-eyed man exited the room before her so as to keep his roving hands in sight and away from her body.

"Maybe he's outside," Sango guessed and sped up until she was standing next to Miroku. The monk nodded in agreement and they headed back to the living room. As she turned, she felt Miroku's hand brush against her hip for a moment.

She looked up at him, murder in her brown eyes. He hadn't seemed to notice. Maybe it had been an accident, after all. But then again, it **was** Miroku… Brown eyes met purple as he glanced at her. "Something wrong?" He asked innocently. Sango shook her head in the negative.

"Naw," she replied nonchalantly, fairly confident that his hand had been an accident. Miroku slid open the back door and the pair put on a few stray pairs of shoes. Sango noticed idly that Miroku was wearing Mr. Higurashi's old black sandals. She herself was wearing a pair that probably belonged to Mrs. Higurashi. "Inuyasha?" She called loudly, aware that with his keen ears he'd be able to hear, even if he was at the very edge of the property.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku yelled after her. He paused for a moment as the echo faded and no one answered. "Well, he's not outside-" Sango cut him off with a derisive snort. "What?" He asked in confusion.

"You call that searching?" Sango looked at him incredulously. "Let's check by the big tree where he sits sometimes." Miroku nodded in agreement and their sandals brushed against the short grass of the lawn. Mrs. Higurashi was gardening off to the side, a pair of clippers in hand as she tended to the plants along the border of the lawn.

"Are you looking for Inuyasha?" The older woman asked and wiped sweat from her brow. "I heard you calling." She stood up and put the clippers down. Sango nodded and the pair stopped walking.

"We wanted to tell him about what's going on with the curse," Sango clarified. Mrs. Higurashi looked surprised as she dusted off the pair of shorts that she was wearing.

"You mean he doesn't know?" The older woman asked curiously and shielded her eyes from the sun. Miroku nodded in the affirmative. "I thought that you would've told him right off."

"Well, I wasn't sure," Miroku admitted and peered at the tree where Inuyasha and Kagome often sat. "Sango and I just wanted to make sure first." Mrs. Higurashi nodded in understanding and pointed back to the house.

"I think that he went to the library, or the ballroom." She frowned as she thought. "I'm not sure what that room is, really." She resumed her instructions. "I do know that he was somewhere inside after he left Kagome's room."

"Thank you," Miroku inclined his head in thanks. The purple-eyed man and the exterminator trudged back to the house in silence; the only sound was of Mrs. Higurashi's clippers and the wind through the trees. But, the silence wasn't an uncomfortable one. It was more companionable, as if neither of them really needed to say anything. And they didn't. No words were needed.

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(0.0)

( )

"Hey."

Inuyasha looked up in surprise. He was sitting on the patched former splendor of the floor in the library-ballroom, legs crossed and chin propped up on one hand. Kagome smiled at him and took a seat next to the hanyou, her feet making nary a sound on the floor.

And in his amber eyes, Kagome could see a deep thoughtfulness, his expression unreadable. Despite his impulsive tendencies and rough manner, Inuyasha really was quite a thinker and whenever he went off to be alone, it was always to think. "What's up?" She asked.

Without looking at her, in fact he turned away, he stuck his hand out again and Kagome sighed. "Take your life back." But this time, she noticed, there seemed to be a tint of pleading in his voice. "Take it," he repeated.

Kagome scooted around until she was sitting in front of him again, face to face. "I told you," she began firmly, "that you're keeping it. It's a gift, just accept it." She smiled indulgently at him. "I want you to, otherwise I wouldn't have given it to you in the first place." Inuyasha stared at the floor, expression grave.

"I can't." He refused flatly. "I can't." He repeated. Kagome looked at him in puzzlement and tried to get him to look her in the eyes again. As she suspected, he turned away.

"Why won't you look at me?" She asked curiously, feeling a bit irate. Inuyasha brought his eyes up to hers and stared balefully, amber eyes smoldering.

"Better?" He almost spat. Kagome backed away in alarm. "Now, take it back!" His hand shot out of his sleeve and stopped between them. "Take back your life!" He demanded angrily.

"No!" Kagome's own stubbornness and anger flickered into light. "You keep it!" She folded her arms across her chest, her dark grey eyes glaring mulishly into his own.

Inuyasha lowered his hand back onto his lap and his gaze as well. "Why?" He asked simply. Kagome looked at him in bewilderment. There was a pause as Kagome thought of an answer.

"Because I want you to have it." She finally said, feeling rather inadequate. "And plus…" She continued slowly, trying to decide what to say. "You… you've been stuck like this a long time, haven't you?" She gestured at her body. Inuyasha nodded reluctantly, still gazing at the floor. "So, I think that you should get to be alive. It's not fair if you're stuck like this forever."

"What about you?" Inuyasha asked and looked up from the floor, anger still laced through his voice and eyes. "Are you sure that that's what you'd want? To be stuck like that for an eternity?"

Kagome looked surprised. "What makes you think that I'd be stuck like this forever?" She asked, then realized what a stupid question it was. Inuyasha looked at her incredulously.

"And what makes you think that you wouldn't be?" He shot back. The conversation had lost most of its confrontational side. "I was like that for five hundred years!"

And it had been hell, pure hell. He'd been so alone, isolated, and the misery had been relentless, just like the passing of time. It had sucked the life out of him, and in the end, he just didn't care about anything. He hadn't even realized how bad it had been for him until things had improved. With a lurch, he realized that despair had become the norm for him. He was shocked when Kagome said, "I don't mind too much right now. I'm sure that we'll come up with a cure soon, too! So it won't be too long."

For a moment, Inuyasha was speechless. Finally he managed to choke out, "Well, you're certainly confident." Remembering the matter at hand, he turned to her mulishly again and said, "But you're still taking your life back."

It was Kagome's turn to look askance. "Have you been listening to me at **all**!" She stared at him angrily. "I just said that I would rather give it to you than keep it for myself!" She huffed for a moment.

"Well, I'd rather give it to **you**!" The mulish hanyou shot back with a glare. "It's yours in the first place! I've no right to take it!"

"You're not **taking** it!" Kagome's voice rose as the conversation turned into an argument. "I'm **giving** it to you! I already told you that!" Standing indiscreetly behind a bookshelf and unnoticed by the pair, Sango, Shippo and Miroku watched the argument with slight dismay.

"But it's **yours**!" They were standing up now, still glaring at each other. "And you're taking it back! **NOW**!" Inuyasha gripped the spectral girls arm and concentrated.

**"No!" **Kagome shouted back and willed just a fiercely, her hand on the demi-demon's. There was a flash of cackling bright light from the prayer beads around Inuyasha's neck and they both collapsed on the ground.

"Kagome! Inuyasha!" The trio appeared from around the corner and surrounded the pair on the floor, both of them still holding onto each other. Sango and Miroku stopped abruptly about a foot away and gulped. "Now, this is weird…" Shippo said in a small voice. There was wispy grey smoke issuing from the beads around Inuyasha's neck, almost like the steam that comes from a car badly in need of repair. The stuff was slowly surrounding the pair with the smell of smoky incense and lavender.

But the oddest thing about the whole picture wasn't the smoke, or the way little bolts of Inuyasha's lightning-stuff that played between their entwined fingers. In any other circumstances, the pose would've been quite endearing. The odd thing was that both of them were swirling with colors and transparency as the Curse settled down between them. For a moment, Kagome's feet and legs were pale and grey, then flesh and blood as the transparency traveled up her body and traveled down her arm where it's met Inuyasha's hand and turned it grey, then was pushed back by a cackling pink force that tingled from Kagome's fingers and turned Inuyasha's hand back to flesh and blood.

"What's that?" Shippo whispered in the dead silence. There was a faint buzzing, cracking sound from the interplay between the grey force and the pink energy that came from Kagome's fingers.

"Good question." Miroku replied flatly, worry in his purple eyes. After a moment's hesitation, he took a cautious step closer and bent over the prone forms of Kagome and Inuyasha. Sango bent over and took a closer to watch the rather violent exchange between the pink stuff and the Curse with a concerned frown. This was a big dilemma…

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"What's in it for me?" Tsubaki asked suspiciously. "I've got more to gain from helping Naraku than from killing him." She watched Kagura with suspicious turquoise eyes. Kagura smiled coyly and snapped her fan shut with a sharp click.

"Are you sure?" The wind witch asked carefully, a confident smile in place. "Do you really think that Naraku is as generous as to give you that which you desire?" Tsubaki sighed and beckoned to her shikigami. The snake-like demon curled itself around her neck in familiarity.

"Of course I'm not that naive." The black priestess retorted. "But I have other ways to get what I want. This job is in my interest, so I'll do it." She looked at the scarlet-eyed demon standing across from her with unveiled suspicion. "And what do I have to gain from helping you?"

"Tsubaki." Kagura drawled. "I know all about your little dilemma." The priestess flinched. "You're running out of time and unless you get your hands on those ingredients that you need, you'll soon look your age." She toyed with her fan in a careless way, but was nowhere near as relaxed as she appeared. Her entire ploy was playing on this one point…

"I can get you what you want, and I won't kill you once all is said and done like Naraku would." She tucked the fan in a pocket in her jacket and glanced at Tsubaki.

"And how do I know I can trust **you** any more than Naraku?" Turquoise eyes clashed with scarlet. "It's a dangerous balance I stand on, I know. And you just might tip it over."

"Do you honestly think that Naraku has any regard for life other than his own? He doesn't give a damn about what happens to you," the wind witch said frankly. "He'd kill you as soon a look at you. I, on the other hand, don't give a damn either, but I **do** keep to my word."

Tsubaki weighed her choices carefully. How could she come out on top of everyone else? "I'll do it, but you have to give me my pay before I give you the completed product." She looked at the package that Kagura held so gingerly.

"Then we have a deal." Kagura confirmed and crossed the space between them to give the bundle to Tsubaki. "Oh, and it must be done before four weeks and a day are done with." She pulled the white feather from her hair and took off.

"Then you'll get my pay before that time." Tsubaki said back. As the wind witch flew away until she was a mere speck on the horizon, the black priestess smiled grimly and looked at the package in her hands.

"My, my, my." She chuckled darkly and headed back up the grassy slope. "It looks as if Naraku has a mutiny on his hands." But that didn't surprise Tsubaki in the slightest.

What surprised her was that it hadn't broken out before this.

(•.•)

( • )--

"Kagome!"

Voices were calling her name. They were familiar voices, too. Not her mother, though. Or Souta. Who was it, then?

"Kagome!"

It wasn't Grandpa. And it wasn't Eri or Yuka and she was sleeping over. Maybe she was wrong, and it was her mother, after all. But she didn't want to get up; it couldn't be time for school yet, could it?

"Kagome!"

No, it wasn't her mother. Because the voice was masculine now. That was confusing. Just before, she could've sworn that it was her mother…

"Kagome! Get up!"

Oh, and that was Shippo, for certain. So then the others were Miroku and Sango. Not her mother, or her grandfather. Slowly, Kagome opened her heavy eyelids and blinked blearily up at three concerned faces. She sneezed and sat up. "Sango, your hair is in my face."

"KAGOME!" Shippo squealed and leaped at her. "Whoa!" To her utmost shock, Shippo sank through her as if she were merely air and hit the floor behind her with a thud.

"What!" She looked down at her stomach where Shippo had sunk through. And gasped, with surprise and horror. "What happened!" She turned to Inuyasha, who lay beside her. "Oh, gods…" He was in the same condition she was, part flesh-and-blood, part spectral, and constantly changing as pink sparks played across his grey, the red chest.

"Is he okay!" Her voice was shrill with worry. She didn't realize that her hand was still in his. Shippo picked himself off of the ground, shaking slightly from the frightening experience, and trotted over to Inuyasha's head.

"Are **you** okay?" Miroku asked, somewhat calmer now that Kagome had woken up. The black-haired girl didn't look up from the hanyou's face as she replied.

"Yeah, fine." She said absently. "What about Inuyasha?" She turned to Miroku. "Is he okay? What happened?" Shippo leaned over one of Inuyasha's white ears and yelled into it.

"HEY, DOG BOY! WAKE UP!"

The fuzzy appendage twitched. Miroku shrugged. "If you're okay as you are, I'm sure that Inuyasha is, too." The purple-eyed man ran a hand through his black hair. "But there's no way to know for sure." Kagome frowned, a worried expression firmly in place.

"Inuyasha, please wake up!" She shook his shoulder gently with her free hand, the other still grasping Inuyasha's own. She didn't seem to be able to pull away. The sparks had her hand completely numb.

"Kagome, are you sure you're alright?" Sango asked and placed a hand on the other girl's shoulder tentatively, afraid that it would sink through. And after a moment, the raven-haired girl's shoulder did indeed become untouchable and her hand did sink through. Sango pulled back quickly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She smiled quickly at Sango. "I'm more worried about Inuyasha," she admitted and shook her head. "What happened?" She asked for the third time.

"DOOOOOG BOOOOOY!" Shippo howled into Inuyasha's ear. "YOU CAN WAKE UP NOOOOW! HEEEEEEEEYYY!" The demi-demon's ear flicked again and Shippo tugged on it before it became spectral again.

"Well, you and Inuyasha both tried to give each other the spell, and then this bright light and little bolts of what looked like electricity came out of Inuyasha's prayer beads." Kagome frowned.

"I remember feeling all… like something flooded my nerves and just knocked me out." She rubbed her head. "I do feel a bit funny," she admitted and stared down at Inuyasha again. "Are you sure that he's okay? What if the shock hurt him worse than me?"

"He's half-demon," Sango looked down at Inuyasha's face as it changed from ghostly to flesh-and-blood again. "He's a lot tougher than you. He just hasn't woken up yet, I think. But there's now way of knowing for sure."

Kagome gnawed on her lower lip with worry. "I hope you're right." Shippo tugged on the hanyou's ear again and he winced. "Inuyasha!" Kagome leaned over and stared at his face. "I think he's coming to!"

"DOOOOG BOOOOOY!" Shippo yelled into his ear as he tugged on the other one. "WAAAAKE UP!" Inuyasha winced and a clawed hand swiped at the annoying kitsune, knocking his away as he opened eyes that changed from vibrant amber to dull grey and back again.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelped happily. The semi-poltergeist sat up and winced, rubbing his abused ear gingerly. "I'm so happy!" She launched herself at the hanyou and gave him a big hug.

"Huh?" Inuyasha blinked in bewilderment, face slightly flushed. "What happened?" He asked and Kagome moved back hastily, her face stained slightly pink. "And what the hell happened to you?" He pointed an accusatory finger at the black-haired girl.

"You should take a look at yourself." Shippo said sourly and dislodged himself from a pile of wood that Inuyasha had hit him into. "You're off just as bad." Inuyasha looked down at himself, then back up to the others.

"No wonder I feel so queasy," Inuyasha commented dryly and stood up, pulling Kagome with him. "Whoa." He looked at their connected hands. "What the hell happened!" He demanded again. "And why are we stuck together, as well as all… weird?"

"Ask Miroku." Kagome pointed at the purple-eyed man who always seemed to have the answers to everything. "He can tell you." She stood unsteadily as her body kept changing from solid to insubstantial.

Sango looked at Miroku in confusion as he snapped his fingers. "It's the prayer beads!" He grinned triumphantly at the pair. "The spell is in the prayer beads!"

"What?" Sango turned to look at him in bemusement. "What are you talking about, Miroku?" The purple-eyed man grinned and pointed at the prayer beads around Inuyasha's neck.

"I always knew that there was something funny about those," he said. "No matter what state you're in, Inuyasha, they stay spectral. Now it fits together." And he was right. Even as he spoke, regardless of the nature of Inuyasha's neck and chest, the beads around his neck stayed slightly transpired and a dull grey color.

"So can you break it?" Kagome asked eagerly and nearly tipped over as her leg became spectral. Inuyasha caught her and set her upright. Miroku blinked and thought for a moment.

"I don't know." He said with a shrug. "I'll need some time to look at it and think, do some research. But now that we're sure, I bet we can have that spell off really soon."

"How soon is really soon?" Inuyasha questioned, hope rising in his chest. The purple-eyed man frowned, thinking, for a moment.

"Oh, no more than a few months, probably about two, but no more than that." The others stared at him for a moment. Inuyasha blinked, then sighed.

"Oh, great."

"Well, it's better than a year, right?" Kagome asked and stood up. She'd fallen over when both legs ceased to solidly exist at the same time. The semi-poltergeist shrugged indifferently. No, it was more that great, it was wonderful. He'd waited five hundred years, after all. He could wait a few more months.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Ah, Kagura." Naraku stole into her mind and filled it with a feeling of cold, dark, dread. "I was just wondering what had become of you." There was a question behind the comment, one that the wind witch refused to answer.

"You have what I asked for, yes?" He asked, his ruthless personality echoing through her mind. From her place next to the black urn, Kanna watched exchange with emotionless black eyes.

"And I gave it Tsubaki, as ordered." She snapped back. "Anything else?" She demanded from the entryway to the cave, fan waving idly. Kagura conveniently didn't mention that she'd told Tsubaki a different set of instructions. If he didn't ask, she didn't have to tell.

"You know what to do." Naraku replied. Through an unspoken command, Kanna turned her mirror towards Kagura and revealed an image. "And I expect you to do a bit of damage, no death, not yet." The wind witch frowned with confusion. And what would that accomplish?

"You do not need to question my plans, even in your thoughts." Kagura flinched, but didn't back away as he had expected her to. "I have my reasons. Now see to it." Grudgingly, Kagura inclined her head in ascent and stalked away towards the exit of the cave.

"Akutagawa girl and friends, here I come," Kagura said with a sigh. This time would be different. The wind howled as it rushed by her, making her squint marginally with the speed that she was traveling at.

"This time **will** be different."

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"I think that this'll give my Mom a heart attack," Kagome said gloomily as the two of them walked unsteadily down the hallway. Both she and Inuyasha were still changing back and forth between being spectral and flesh-and-blood.

"Naw, that'd be the old man." Inuyasha said back. "Your mom'll probably faint or something like that." He fell over to one side as one of his legs ceased to exist as flesh, toppling Kagome with him. "Gods damnit!"

Miroku frowned as he thought behind them. "Is something wrong?" Sango asked curiously from next to him. Shippo sat on his shoulder. The purple-eyed man turned to her before replying.

"I'm not sure how this happened, but I think that it's safe to say that it has to do with Kagome's spiritual powers." His frown deepened as he stared at their hands.

"You mean those pink sparks, right?" Shippo asked, green eyes sparkling with interest. "But what's it mean?" Miroku shrugged and ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't know. I think that Kagome's fighting the spell somehow, but she's not putting any effort into it, which means either that it's something else, or she's really, really powerful." He shrugged again. "I don't know too much about this stuff, actually. Most of the time it's just guess-work."

Sango nodded. After all, who needed to know these sorts of things in such a modern era? They were really quite lucky to have Miroku around.

"Dinner, everyone!" Mrs. Higurashi shouted from the kitchen. The five of them all gulped visibly. Taking matters into his own hands, Inuyasha marched into the living room as if nothing was wrong, Kagome protesting feebly as she got dragged along.

"Wait!" Miroku grabbed Inuyasha's hair before he reached the dining room and dragged him and Kagome back into the hallway. Pulling a spell out of a pocket –did he carry those everywhere? Sango wondered- he stuck one to Kagome and one to Inuyasha. Slowly, the colors and greys stopped swirling about their bodies and settled.

"Why didn't you do that before?" Inuyasha asked pointedly as they both became semi-solid and rather grey. "Could've saved us a lotta trouble." He grumbled. Miroku shrugged.

"I forgot," the black-haired man admitted. "And they'll wear off in about two hours or so, anyway." He pushed the pair of them back into the room. Their hands were still stuck together, but that could be easily explained…

Sango noticed an ominous glitter in Miroku's purple eyes. That didn't bode well at all. He had that look in his eyes that he got whenever he-

"Hands off!" She whacked him in the head with her hand. "You have two weeks left, you know!" The exterminator scowled at him, face flushed. Miroku rubbed his head gingerly and nodded in compliance, his purple eyes slightly out of focus.

"Ah, there you are-" Mrs. Higurashi stopped in mid-sentence as she regarded Inuyasha and Kagome, and then their intertwined hands with a smile. "And what do we have here?" She was still smiling as she wiped her hands on the apron around her waist.

Both Kagome and Inuyasha blushed and spluttered. "Mom!" Kagome protested. "It's just the spell. We were trying to break it-" Not really, but she didn't need to know the details, "and we got stuck like this." Subdued pink sparks still played around their hands.

"That's too bad," the older woman said with genuine sympathy. "Better luck next time, hm?" Kagome nodded for the both of them and the group trailed after Mrs. Higurashi into the dining room.

"Hey everybody!" Souta greeted cheerfully. "Hey, Shippo! Guess what I found!" He exclaimed excitedly as the kitsune sat down next to him on a large pile of old books so that he could see the table.

"What?" The ginger-haired fox demon asked curiously as he helped himself to a bao. "Ooh, is it more packing peanuts?" Green eyes widened with enthusiasm as he took a big bite out of the bun.

"Nope! I found a big pile of old archeology stuff!" Mr. Higurashi looked at the pair with interest as Souta continued his story. "It was in that really old room that no one's really looked in, you know? In the closet, and there were a lot of old tools and rope and stuff." He shrugged and grinned.

"I wonder what we could make out of that…" Shippo thought aloud and took another chomp of his food. Mr. Higurashi interrupted with thoughts of his own.

"You mean the old equipment that belonged to umm… what was her name, Miyagi? Something Miyagi. I found some of her writings notes. Quite a prestigious archeologist, actually. This was the last place she was seen before she mysteriously disappeared at the height of her career." He nodded and continued to eat obliviously.

"You wouldn't have anything to do with that would you, Inuyasha?" Shippo teased. The semi-poltergeist glowered and bopped the ginger-haired kitsune on the head. "Hey!" Shippo protested. "That's not fair!"

Inuyasha looked at him grimly and hit him a few more times, "for good measure" as he put it, before Kagome pulled him away. "Wait…" Miroku interrupted and stopped eating. "What was her name?"

Mr. Higurashi looked up his food briefly to reply. "Miyagi. Kaguya? No, Kaiya? No, not Kameko either… Ah, Kagura! Miyagi Kagura."

Conversation around the table stopped abruptly as five individuals turned to look at him in surprise. "Kagura?" They asked in unison as they exchanged incredulous glances. Surely not Kagura the wind witch!

"Yeah, that's it. Miyagi Kagura. She was looking for something around here and she went searching one day, but never came back." The senior stopped to chew his food and swallow. "Everyone assumed that she'd been murdered and her body never found."

There was a large thump and a rush of wind. The same five exchanged a glance and rushed away from the table. "Go hide somewhere!" Inuyasha called behind him as they hurried out to the lawn, Sango grabbing Hiraikotsu from beside the doorway and tossing Miroku his staff.

"Speak of the devil," Sango commented harshly. "Literally," she spat and hurled Hiraikotsu up with deadly accuracy. Deftly, Kagura flicked her fan and a gust of wind blew the formidable weapon aside.

"No, just one of his incarnations," Kagura countered with a bitter smile. The wind witch dropped to earth gracefully, the large feather that was her transport shrinking until it was a normal size. She tucked the feather into her hair and regarded the five coolly. "And what have we here?" She glanced at Inuyasha and Kagome. "What sort of amateur spell did you fumble?" She smirked. "But I should be asking you that." She looked at Miroku.

"I didn't do anything, Miyagi Kagura." Miroku shot back and moved into a defensive stance, glancing at Sango for a moment. Kirara stood by her, flames licking at her large feet and long canines bared menacingly. But all in all, Sango looked more menacing, with a deadly glint in her eyes that promised vengeance for her kin, and Hiraikotsu balanced perfectly, just waiting to be thrown.

"Well, aren't we well-informed," Kagura drawled. "But that life's over with." Scarlet eyes narrowed as she slashed at the air with her fan. Miroku leaped aside and Sango took to the air, hurling her weapon at Kagura as she did so.

"What do you mean by that?" Inuyasha asked put Kagome behind him protectively. Kagura turned around and brought her fan into play yet again. Leaping out of the way, Kagome in his grasp, the semi-solid hanyou landed heavily on the grass and turned to the wind witch again.

"Do you honestly think that I'd willingly leave such a life?" She indicated the house. "I had all I needed, and more." She leaped out of Hiraikotsu's way and dodged Miroku's attack with ease. "And I had no desire to just disappear, though the newspaper articles were amusing."

She swung around and leaped out of Sango's path. "So why did you?" The exterminator asked through gritted teeth. Kagura may be her enemy, but she couldn't help but be curious.

"I didn't. It was Naraku." There was a lull in the battle as the group stood several yards away from the wind witch, neither group making a move.

"Naraku!" Inuyasha hissed, golden eyes lit with anger. "That's bullshit. I killed him with my own hands." He could see it in his mind; Tetsusaiga coming down at Naraku's neck, a severed head, Kikyo's spell sealing both him and the demon.

"Well, you certainly did a bad job." Kagura snapped. "He's alive and relatively well." The feather came out of her hair and appeared in her hand. With one final gust of wind from her fan, Kagura leaped back onto her feather and took off. "Next time you try to kill someone, make sure they're dead before you walk away!" She called to Inuyasha down below.

"Fuck you!" Inuyasha yelled back in a display of bad temper and equally foul language as he leaped back, away from Kagura's attack with Kagome in his grasp. He scowled and kicked at a stray dirt clod. That was something to think about, though. Naraku. Alive…

"But I thought you said that he died a long time ago…" Kagome looked at Inuyasha in surprise. Realizing that he still held her close to him, Inuyasha put the black-haired girl down and stepped back a bit.

"I did. I cut off his head." But for demons like Naraku, that wasn't enough, which was why Kikyo sealed him away and Inuyasha with him, whether it was an accident or not was still debatable.

"But how does that work!" Kagome asked in bewilderment. "If you cut off something's head, it's got to die! The brain is disconnected from the body. It's just not possible," Kagome stated flatly.

"Not for some demons. I'm guessing that Naraku is one of the particularly powerful type, with all sorts of things up his sleeves." The black-haired man looked at Inuyasha for confirmation.

"Yeah…" Inuyasha said quietly. "He was –is. And Kagura's working for him, it seems." Looks like he was just going to have to kill the bastard again. But if that entitled all the event of what happened last time…

"No, not working for him," Miroku scrutinized. "She's not working for him out of her own will. I would say that he's bound her somehow." Sango looked at him curiously.

"What do you mean?" Kirara mewed on her shoulder, once again kitten-sized. Hiraikotsu was slung over one shoulder and a katana in its sheath was in her hand other hand.

"Kagura didn't seem… very fond of this Naraku. And yet, she does his dirty work. Why would she do that if she wasn't being coerced in some way?" Sango's brown eyes narrowed as she stared in the direction that the wind witch had left in.

"Huh." Sango turned and stalked into the house, Miroku's purple eyes following her with concern in the approaching dusk. The sliding glass door closed quietly behind her as she headed straight for the staircase without a word of explanation to the confused Mrs. Higurashi and her questions.

"This is really, really bad, isn't it?" Shippo asked from his perch on Miroku's shoulder, green eyes wide and solemn. "I mean, Naraku's alive. I have a feeling that this is going to be like on TV when the villain tries to take over the world or something." Inuyasha snorted derisively.

"Probably. That's the sort of thing that he'd like." The demi-poltergeist said shortly, staring off into the distance. Shippo stared at him, askance, then laughed nervously.

"I was just kidding, Inuyasha." He assured hastily. After a moment's silence stretched between the four of them, Shippo tugged on Miroku's ear. "Let's go back inside, okay?" He glanced surreptitiously at Kagome and Inuyasha. "Come **on**, Miroku!" He whispered.

Neither of the two paid any attention as Miroku and Shippo left. They both stood in silence for another moment, but for different reasons. The wind sighed heavily through the trees, making the leaves quiver and rustle. "It's different now." Kagome said quietly, "Isn't it?" She looked up at Inuyasha's impassive expression.

"…yeah, it is," he said finally and looked down at Kagome. "Naraku, as I remember it, was ruthless, heartless, manipulative." He sighed and looked out across the property, up the hill and to the dark velvety sky. "To discover that he's been out there, all this time…" He looked down, startled, as Kagome squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Well, if he's been out there that long, then a bit longer isn't going to hurt, will it?" At Inuyasha's almost outraged look, she hastily assured him. "If he was going to blow us all up or take over the Earth or something like Shippo said, he would've done it, right?"

Inuyasha nodded reluctantly. She had a point there… Her hand was warm in his; a tingly feeling spread from his fingers to his wrist and all the way up his arm. He looked down to discover that the little pink sparks that Miroku had finally confirmed as Kagome's powers were spreading up his arm and restoring it to flesh and blood as her own arm because more grey again.

"Kagome!" He said harshly. "Don't do that!" She shook her head with confusion as the sparks continued their work. They spread across his chest and up to his head. Amber eyes glared down at her. "You're going to give me it all!"

Kagome looked down at her hand. "I'm not doing anything." She replied. "I think that Miroku's spell is wearing off." And sure enough, the spells dropped of their bodies as if they'd never been stuck in the first place. "See?"

The sparks died out from Kagome's fingers and their hands dropped away from each other as they regained control of their limbs. "There we go." Kagome shook her hand out and Inuyasha did likewise.

Both of them were semi-solid, sharing equally in the Curse. "Whoops!" Unsteady on her legs from the experience, Kagome slipped and fell to the side. Inuyasha caught her hand and managed to keep her upright. "Thanks," Kagome smiled up at him, brown eyes glittering in the dusk.

Almost unconsciously, but not quite, Kagome kept a hold of his hand as they walked slowly back to the house. She could feel her heart fluttering wildly in her chest as the made their way across the dark lawn and to the bright patches of light that were the windows.

And was it just her imagination, or was Inuyasha's hand squeezing hers back?

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Hey, Kagome!" Eri's voice was as cheery as ever. "What's up?" Kagome fumbled with the phone as it started to slide through her hands.

"Hi Eri!" She managed to say back. Maybe if she put the phone on the ground and put her head next to it… "Just a sec-" she let the phone hit the ground and then lay down next to it on her stomach. "Hi! Sorry about that."

"No problem. Hey, I was just wondering, are you doing anything this weekend or next week?" Souta snorted as he walked through the living room. Kagome certainly did look strange like that.

"No, I don't think so." She replied. "Hey, Souta," The younger boy turned around to look at her. "Do you know if anything's going on next week?" He shook his head. "Nope," Kagome said to Eri. "Nothing."

"Cool. Me, Ayumi and Yuka were thinking of coming up and visiting you soon, next week or on the weekend for a couple of days." Kagome blanched, her grey face turning white. "Your mom said yes when she was down here a few weeks ago."

"S-sounds great." The ghostly girl stammered. She couldn't let her friends see her like this! And Inuyasha was a secret! As much as she'd like to share everything with them and see them again, it wasn't advisable.

"You don't sound like you think so," Eri said carefully. "What's wrong?" Kagome rolled onto her back and thought, the phone still near her ear.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just saw a really big spider," She invented. They had a few weeks prep period. And Shippo could disguise himself, Miroku could disguise Inuyasha and her, maybe. Hopefully. Or maybe she'd be normal by then, somehow.

"Oh, gross!" Her friend exclaimed. "You should get someone to squish it." Kagome grinned. That was just like Eri. She hated bugs with a passion.

"It's gone now, though." Kagome assured her hastily and rolled back onto her stomach. "But yeah, that's great! What day were you thinking? I'll keep a lookout."

"We were thinking Saturday or Sunday." Kagome counted off the days on her fingers. That gave her… let's see… six days to prepare.

"Sounds great!" Kagome grinned. And it would be. She'd wanted to have her friends over. "So I'll see you then! I have to go now, though. Miroku wants to use the phone." The purple-eyed man looked up from the paper he was reading in confusion.

"I do?" He asked. "I didn't know that." Kagome shook her head. With a shrug, Miroku turned back to the newspaper.

"Okay, then." Eri cheerfully bade her goodbye. "I'll see you then!" She giggled a bit. "I can't wait to see the house!" Kagome nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay, then. See ya!" She fumbled with the phone. "Hey, Miroku!" He looked back up from the paper. "Could you help me with this?" An amused twinkle in his eye over her pathetic attempts, Miroku picked up the phone and put it in its rightful place. "Thanks."

"No problem." He went back to the couch and continued to read the newspaper. "Who was that, anyway?" He asked casually. "You went white as a sheet for a moment."

"My friend Eri. She's coming down in about a week." The black-haired girl sat up and looked at Miroku. "Speaking of which, can you disguise me somehow, and Inuyasha, too?" The hanyou stuck his head through the wall.

"What's this?" He asked caustically. "I'm not wearing some spell for however long." With difficulty, he pushed his way through the wall and folded his arms over his chest obstinately.

"Please, Inuyasha!" Kagome begged. "I really need your cooperation here! It's just like how Shippo was before." The hanyou shook his head obstinately. "Well, then you're just going to have to stay out of sight for the entire time." Kagome told him.

"What!" Inuyasha stared at her incredulously. "And why would I do that?" Miroku shook his head as the conversation escalated into an argument and went back to the paper.

"It was your own idea, you know. To keep it a secret. Plus, if Shippo can do it, you can do it." The kitsune looked up from his card game with Shippo in the ktichen and called into the living room.

"Yeah, are you saying you're too weak?" He taunted. "The great Inuyasha can't wear a spell for a few days. I had to wear one for fifty years!" Souta looked impressed.

"How old are you, then?" The black-haired boy peered across the table at the small fox demon. "I thought that you said you were seven-ish." Shippo nodded in the affirmative.

"In demon years, I am. But demons live a lot longer than humans. I can't remember how old I am, exactly." He smiled sheepishly. "But I think I'm about fifty." He shrugged. "Go fish." Souta picked up a card obediently.

"Well?" Kagome demanded to Inuyasha. He grumbled for a moment, then nodded curtly in compliance. "Thank you." She smiled and turned back to Miroku. "You can do that, right? Make spells so we'll be normal, temporarily?"

The black-haired man paused for thought before answering. "I'll have to take a closer look at the spell and make a counter, but it should be done in a few days." Kagome nodded.

"And Kirara can just stay small, can't you?" Sango smiled down at the little fire cat on her shoulder. Kirara mewed in response, wide scarlet eyes staring unblinkingly into the exterminator's.

"So it's settled then." Kagome dusted off her hands and stared out of the window to the back yard. Hopefully, next week would be uneventful. No visits from Kouga, no attacks by Kagura, no side effects by the spell. Kagome sighed and shook her head ruefully. Like that would happen.


	16. Preparations

AN: I was thinking about the plot of this story, and suddenly I realized it was freakishly similar to Garth Nix's Abhorsen Trilogy. I mean, Abhorsen and Lirael. Weird how things can subconsciously influence what you do and write, isn't it? Huh. I think I'll have to change a few things as I go…

And so I continue with the responses (thanks 'specially to those who reviewed, as usual!):

**Auxana**: Thank you! I do try to keep the story very multi-layered and all, so I'm glad that you think that it is! Hmmm… Miroku's sutras. That's an interesting idea. And YES, the beads are the source of the spell, so that where it's gotta be attacked from, I think.

**NewSalemWitch**: Yay! Someone noticed the redoing of chapter one! I'm glad that you like it, I was really trying to make it longer, but it's still quite dinky. Well, really, really dinky. And my heads already so swollen (hehe) that I'm quite surprised that I can hold it up now! (Not really, or at least I hope not) Hojo? Hm. I was thinking about it… I'd like to see how mad I can get Inuyasha without giving him a stroke/ aneurism/ hernia… He'll be popping up somewhere. And I totally know where you're coming from. I have so much crap that I should be doing right now (notes, math, piano-got a recital in three weeks!) that it's not even funny. Sadly –pathetically- I'm going out ostrich-style, with my head in the sand. Kudos to you for actually doing the work! (In comparison to me, who is being horrible and will probably end up with a poor grade for the quarter. But man do I feel bad now about that.)

**FFchick**: Here's the update, as requested! Yeah, I would find it really weird to be stuck to someone like that. Fortunately for the both of them, it wasn't for more than a day, or even half a day. I mean, I had this image of Kagome trying to take a shower, with Inuyasha blindfolded on the other side of the curtain. Not good, at all. And how would she get her clothes on after? Her hand's stuck to his; her shirtsleeve wouldn't work out well with the situation… So I'm glad I didn't go onto this whole thing where they were stuck together, specifically for that reason.

**Tiamath**: Well, we'll see what Miroku comes up with, won't we? (Insert evil laughter here) I really think that at this point tangibility is a necessity for just the reason that you specified (people trying to give hugs and bad things resulting.) Hm. I wonder if I'd be charged for the psychiatrist's bill. (Wow I spelled "psychiatrist" right!) Was the chapter really longer? I guess they just started stretching out a little… watch the ones at the end be thirty pages… not really, though. I'd stop and make a new chapter before then.

x

Haunted

Chapter Sixteen: Preparations

x

"Miroku…." Inuyasha complained. "Aren't you done with your little look-see yet?" His grey-clad arms were folded irritably across his chest. Miroku stepped back and nodded.

"The spell seems to be very powerful," he acknowledged. "I don't think that I can break it, but a spell should neutralize it, if done correctly." He glanced at Kagome, who was trying to pick up a newspaper from the ground and failing miserably.

"Darn it!" The black-haired girl exclaimed in frustration. "It keeps slipping through my hands!" Literally. Her hands weren't substantial enough to pick up the paper, light as it was. She sighed in defeat and stood up. "You know," she said to Inuyasha. "This sucks. I'm too heavy to float around like you can, but I can't pick anything up either."

He snorted in response. "It's not fun in the first place." The poltergeist stated matter-of-factly. "So, Miroku." He turned back to the unofficial holy man. "You said you could temporarily counter the spell." Inuyasha examined him with scrutiny. "So do it. I don't wanna be like this any longer than I have to."

"Oh, well I can't do it." Miroku shrugged. Inuyasha stared at him, agape, and Kagome turned her head towards him with alarm. "It won't be me who's going to perform the spell," the black-haired man continued smoothly. "Kagome will be the one doing that." The black-haired girl looked at him, agape.

"I am?" She asked and tucked a stray strand of black hair behind one ghostly ear. "But I don't know anything about spells and anything like that." Her smile wavered, unsure.

"What sort of shrine maiden are you?" Inuyasha asked brazenly. "Your type are supposed to know all about that sort of stuff." Kagome turned to him angrily.

"Well, excuse me! I was busy doing other things, like school!" Kagome huffed. "I didn't need to know about spells and stuff!" In fact, she hadn't even believed in the stuff until she'd met Inuyasha, and then there was still doubt. But what little doubt left had been shattered after Shippo was revealed and Miroku had shown off his spells.

"Huh." The hanyou sniffed, a fuzzy white ear flicking in annoyance. Kagome shook her head. Whatever… Miroku ignored the small argument and continued to explain himself.

"Kagome, I will show you how to do the spell and perform parts of it myself. All I need you to do is to use your own spiritual powers." He smiled rather grimly. "Much as I hate to admit it, my own powers aren't enough to counter-effect the spell laid on you and Inuyasha."

"But am I strong enough?" Kagome questioned. "Inuyasha's spell has lasted for centuries. Are you sure that I can do something strong enough to ward it off?" Miroku thought for a moment before answering.

"Well, you'll have to do two, remember?" He corrected. "One for yourself, one for Inuyasha. Of course, those spells won't have to be as strong as if there were two spells laid down, because you've only absorbed half of the spell, leaving Inuyasha with half as well."

"But it'd still be easier if I just did one big spell, wouldn't it?" Kagome asked with a sinking feeling. As far as she could remember, she'd never had to use these so-called powers of hers. For her, they merely existed as a small handful of pink sparks. Surely that wasn't enough to counteract a spell laid down by such a powerful priestess?

"That's true," the black-haired man admitted. "And actually, if just one of you absorbed the spell, it might work to your advantage…" He glanced between the pair with solemn purple eyes.

"I'll take it," Both Kagome and Inuyasha said, simultaneously. "No, I will!" They chorused. There was a moment while they just glared at each other in an unseen battle of wills, then Kagome broke the silence.

"Inuyasha, it'd be better if I took it. What if Kagura attacked again, or something? She's come here twice, so it seems likely that she'll be back again. I would be useless in a fight, but not you. It makes more sense."

Reluctantly, Inuyasha nodded in agreement. Her logic was pretty much impeccable. "Fine," the poltergeist said finally grudgingly and held out his hand. Miroku interrupted hastily.

"Kagome, you have to lay the spell first. I'm not sure if you'd be able to as a poltergeist." The purple-eyed man informed the two of them. Kagome pulled back and looked at him with expectant dark grey eyes. "So, shall we begin?" He asked.

"No time like the present," Kagome quoted with a sigh. Looking up from his game, Shippo leaped for the exit and landed on Miroku's shoulder.

"Can I watch?" He asked eagerly. "I've never seen a spell made from scratch." The kitsune explained. "All I've ever had to do is renew the one that I have." In fact, he was wearing it at that moment, in order to get used to it again before Kagome's friends came.

Without saying anything, Inuyasha was suddenly standing next to Kagome as the little entourage walked up to Miroku's room to grab some paint and parchment.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Hello?" Mrs. Higurashi picked up the phone, standing in the living room as she glanced distractedly at the kitchen doorway. She was hoping that the water she was boiling wouldn't overflow any time soon…

"Hello, Umeko!" A warm masculine voice greeted from the other end of the line. "How are things?" Mrs. Higurashi's face broke into a wide smile.

"Yasuo!" The black-haired woman's laughter was bubbly and cheerful. "Oh, everything's wonderful! Thank you for calling. It's been years, hasn't it?" The masculine voice agreed. "How are you?" She all but forgot about the water on the stove as she listened raptly to her relative.

"Oh, I am quite well." Yasuo's voice was grave as he answered solemnly. "I wish I could say that I was calling out of sheer good will, however," he sighed heavily and Mrs. Higurashi's cheerful expression dimmed.

"What's wrong?" Dread was curling about her stomach, making her feel ill. "Has something happened?" She twisted the creamy white of the phone cord around her fingers, her expression troubled.

"Everything's going to be okay, they tell us," The black-haired woman smiled nervously, oblivious to the pot of water that was in the process of wreaking havoc upon the stove at the moment. "But Yuri's caught a bad bout of flu, or something. At first, we thought that it was food poisoning, but after a few days, we knew that something was very wrong." Mrs. Higurashi nodded quickly, her fingers still caught up in the cord. "And at first they told us that it was Lymphoma-" Mrs. Higurashi gave out a choked gasp. "-but then they said that they're wrong. They say Hepatitis A." Mrs. Higurashi winced.

"But she'll be all right, you said?" She confirmed quickly. "It can be cured, of course." The stove bubbled and hissed behind her, but Mrs. Higurashi's ears were deaf to every and anything but Yasuo.

"Yes, she'll be fine, but invalided for a while." He sighed heavily, and the black-haired woman suddenly realized how straining the ordeal it must be for her childhood friend Yuri's husband. "Nothing permanent, we're hoping. But, may I ask a favor of you?" The man's voice was hopeful despite the obvious exhaustion that he was holding at bay.

"Oh, of course. Anything. " Mrs. Higurashi replied firmly. "I'll take Tori and Takai, if you need me to. Takai is Souta's age, right? I'm sure that once they remember each other, they'll be fine together. And Tori's only a few years younger than Kagome. We have plenty of room in the house." She said quickly, her mind racing.

"Thank you, but I was actually wondering if you could come up and spend a little time with Yuri." Mrs. Higurashi stopped abruptly. "I think that she would be very pleased to see you once again."

"Of course! I'll bring the whole family to visit!" Mrs. Higurashi cried immediately. "I'll pack right now. Where are you staying?" She quickly took down the address of the hospital, conveniently located just outside of Urawa. She hung up, her mind spinning from the revelation. She'd bring everyone, too! She trusted Sango and Miroku to look after the house; she, her father and her children would visit her childhood friend.

"Hm. And we could take the Shinkansen. Much faster than by car, and the line goes right through Urawa. We could be there by tomorrow!" She snapped her fingers, worry still etched in the line of her eyebrows and her eyes. Looking up the flight of stairs distractedly, she suddenly rushed the other way.

"Oh! The water!" She rushed into the kitchen. It was a mess, water spilled all over the floor and steam hissing from the empty pot. So much for lunch. She sighed and cleaned it up quickly. Heading back up to the stairs, she called to her family, "Souta! Kagome! Dad!" She got a series of varied responses.

Mr. Higurashi poked his head out of his room and called back. "Umeko? Is it lunch now?" Without waiting for his daughter to respond, he left his room and made his way down the flight of stairs. "What's wrong?" He noticed Mrs. Higurashi's pursed lips and worried frown.

"You remember my old friend Yuri?" She asked nervously. Mr. Higurashi nodded slowly as his mind brought old memories worn away by time to the surface. "She has hepatitis, and her husband Yasuo asked if we'd visit. I told her that I'd bring the whole family down to support her."

Mr. Higurashi nodded. "Very good, Should I go get packed, then?" He asked and started to head creakily up the steps again to assemble his things.

"Thank you very much, Dad." Mrs. Higurashi smiled gratefully, some of the worry leaving her face. "Do you know where Souta and Kagome are, by the way?" The senior paused to think for a moment before replying.

"Kagome is arranging something with Miroku and the demons and Souta is with Sango, I think. He's watching her practice." The young boy had been in awe of Sango's weapons skills ever since a few days ago when he'd caught her practicing with Kirara.

"Thanks. Can you get Kagome for me, since she's on the way to your room?" The black-haired woman started to walk to the back where the exterminator trained. Souta was indeed watching with awe in his brown eyes as Sango hurled Hiraikotsu across the sky towards a scrap or red cloth that Kirara dropped from high above.

As the large boomerang swung around in the air and caught the bright fabric, Souta clapped enthusiastically. Sango caught the weapon deftly as it returned. "Wow! That's really neat!" Souta grinned with admiration. "How do you throw something so big like that?"

"Lots of practice, and more practice," Sango replied with a grin. "Wanna learn?" She asked jokingly. The young boy shook his head emphatically. "Are you sure?" Despite her laughing manner, Sango was very serious. Souta was about the right age, a few years younger would be ideal, but with some hard work he could make up for that.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." Souta nodded again. "It's really fun to watch, though." The black-haired boy turned as he heard his name called from the house. "Sounds like Mom," he commented. "Must be lunch." Sango nodded and called to Kirara. The small cat leaped to her shoulder and the three of them walked back across the expansive lawn to the house.

"Come on, Souta." Mrs. Higurashi said briskly from the doorway. "Go pack your bags, we're leaving in an hour." He looked at her with surprise, then perplexity.

"What? Why are we leaving? How long are we going to be gone?" He took of his shoes at the door and entered the house, Sango behind him with the same questions on the tip of her tongue.

"Do you remember Yuri, my friend from Urawa?" Souta nodded slowly. "Well, she's got hepatitis A, so we're all going down to visit her. You don't need to go, Sango," the older woman said, but not unkindly. "I trust you to keep the house well while we're gone?" The demon exterminator nodded wordlessly.

"But Mom!" Kagome called from the second floor, voice slightly muffled. "Eri and Yuka are coming! And Ayumi, too! Sorry Mom, but this is their only chance!" Mrs. Higurashi wavered for a second before replying.

"Alright, Kagome. I'd forgotten about that. So, you'll stay here with your friends, if that's okay with their parents?" Kagome nodded and hurried back up the stairs, sunlight from a window streaming through her spectral form. "I don't think that she could go like that, anyway," Mrs. Higurashi remarked dryly. "It's better this way, anyway."

Feeling slightly guilty about betraying her mother –but she couldn't bail on her friends, either- Kagome headed back into Miroku's room, where he, Inuyasha, Shippo, and now Sango were all waiting. "You're staying?" Inuyasha asked.

Was it just her, or was there a note of anxiety in his voice? Kagome dismissed the idea quickly. It must've been her imagination. "Yeah," she replied and sat down again on the floor. "So what do I do now?" She asked Miroku. Sango leaned over his shoulder, peering with interest at the spell he was putting together.

The brush moved across the paper smoothly, leaving an even trail of black behind it upon the rough parchment. Miroku lifted the brush up and put it to the side quickly as to keep the ink from dripping onto the table that he was writing at. He picked the spell deftly and waved it in the air once to dry it. Presenting it to Kagome, he gave her careful instructions. "Now, just remember: focus on the paper and put the energy into it and nothing else." He put it down on the floor next to where spectral girl was sitting.

"What happens if I don't?" Kagome asked nervously. Miroku stared at her intently as he answered, making the black-haired girl all the more nervous.

"I wouldn't recommend trying to find out." He said clearly. "Just focus on the paper. Everything should work perfectly." Kagome nodded hesitantly and put her hands on the paper.

She took a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing…" Kagome closed her eyes and concentrated fiercely on the spell beneath her fingers. The others stayed completely silent as Kagome's fingers began to develop sparks between the knuckles and on the tips of her fingers. The little sparks were sucked into the parchment, absorbed, and the characters began to glow with an inner fire.

Eyes wide in awe, the others watched as Kagome concentrated fiercely on the paper beneath her hands, her eyes closed and a frown on her face. Then something changed. It was subtle, but it was noticeable. Shippo was the first to look up and see that the lights were flickering, fading as the room darkened while the kanji on the scroll grew brighter and brighter. "Miroku?" The kitsune asked tremulously in a small voice. "Is this part of the spell?"

The black-haired man looked up from Kagome's work to survey the room with a frown that deepened as he realized what was going on. "Everyone get back," he warned, scooting behind the bed. "Far back!" He warned, as Inuyasha didn't move. "There's nothing you can do!" He told the stubborn hanyou. "She'll be fine!"

"How do you know?" Inuyasha snarled back, shading his eyes from the piercing light that came from Kagome's hands. She was beginning to show signs of stress; perspiration was collecting on her forehead and her shoulders shook as she poured every last bit of herself into the spell. "Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, but his voice came out small and muffled. "Stop it! It's too much!" The kanji was too bright to look at now. "Kagome! Stop!" He tried again, hesitantly moving closer.

"Don't be a fool!" Miroku shouted at him through a deafening silence that seemed to come from Kagome's work. "That's purifying power that you're messing with! One touch and you're gone! Get back, you idiot!" Hesitantly, Inuyasha took the advice and scooted behind the bed with the others.

"You're calling me a fool!" Inuyasha snarled at Miroku. "You're the one who gave her control of the spell! She's never done anything like this before! She could kill herself!" He knew from first hand experience how these things happened; Kikyo herself had poured too much of herself into the last spell she cast, he realized. And she was a professional.

There was a muffled bang followed by a stifled gasp as the bring piercing light exploded across the room and beyond with a silence more deafening than any explosion could've been. "Kagome!" Inuyasha was out from behind the bed in an instant, leaping over the furniture of the small room to land next to the pale and trembling girl. She didn't seem to notice him; all her attention was focused on the glowing kanji in front of her. The paper had been blown into oblivion, leaving behind only the words of the spell. They glittered dangerously in the curiously dark room, floating just above the specter-girl's outstretched hand. Without saying a thing, Kagome gently laid and hand on Inuyasha's arm. He felt the curse being sucked out of him, leaving him completely alive. "Kagome!" He repeated and grabbed for her. "What are you doing?"

"Sh." She told him gently. "I just need to take it and…" The characters settled into her palms with another flash of piercing light, the words swirling down her arms to her shoulders, then throughout her entire body, leaving flesh and blood where once there was only a pale imitation. "Whew." Kagome sighed and slumped against the wall. "I didn't think that I'd be able to do that." She admitted to the others. They remained silent, awestruck, incredulous.

"You…" Inuyasha stared at her, anger in his piercing amber gaze. "You're an idiot!" He finally managed. Kagome frowned back, brown eyes glittering with a fury that matched his own.

"Oh, really?" She snapped back. "I can't believe you sometimes!" She told him. Kagome turned to Miroku. "You never mentioned that that would happen," she said accusingly.

Miroku blinked and ran a hand through his black hair in bewilderment. "That's because that's not supposed to happen." He said matter-of-factly. "You're just supposed to put a little into the spell."

Kagome looked at him with eyes wide in shock. "I did it wrong? But it worked out!" She looked down at her hands. Slowly, she looked back up at Miroku. "Is there a side effect?" She asked with a sinking feeling.

"I don't think so," Miroku said slowly. "Of course, I've never seen a spell preformed quite like…that." He finished lamely. "Without the scroll. Can you tell me exactly what you did?" Purple eyes stared into brown intently.

"I just concentrated. When nothing happened, I concentrated some more, and it got harder to do." She shrugged. "And then I seemed to have nothing to concentrate on. I couldn't …see the paper, in my mind. It was gone. So I stopped because there was nothing left for me to concentrate at." She paused for a moment. "So where did I mess up?"

Miroku sighed and ran his hand through his hair again. "Well, you didn't mess up, precisely. You just… Overdid it a bit. More than a bit," he amended. "Way more."

"Gee, thanks." Kagome said wryly and rubbed her head ruefully. "I think you're right, though. I've got a headache." And it hadn't even been ten minutes since she'd preformed the spell… where was the aspirin, anyway?

"Huh." Inuyasha snorted. "Of course you overdid it! You're not supposed to burn the paper, you're not supposed to blind us all with supernatural fireworks, and you're not supposed to mess with the electricity!"

Kagome looked at the irate hanyou with wide eyes. "I did….that!" She stood up shakily. "Man. I didn't know I could do that." It was a rather stupid thing to say, admittedly. But at that moment, Kagome didn't particularly care.

"Neither did we," Sango said dryly. She turned to Inuyasha. "But everyone's fine, so quit whining." Inuyasha bristled at her brusque dismissal of his outburst.

"Who says I'm whining!" He protested hotly. "All I was saying was that Kagome should've been paying attention to what she was doing!" Walking down the hall in front of him as she was, Miroku could see Kagome's shoulders hunch with tension. Instinctively, he let himself fall behind slightly.

"Uh, Inuyasha?" Shippo said from on the hanyou's shoulder. "That's the thing. She was paying attention. Too much attention. Stupid." Inuyasha bonked him on the head with his fist without saying anything.

Kagome turned around abruptly, brown eyes smoldering with anger. "Ooh! Sometimes, Inuyasha, you could try and be polite for once!" She turned back towards the other end of the hallway and stormed off.

"Kagome?" Mrs. Higurashi stuck her head out of her bedroom as her daughter stomped by. "Oh. It's nice to see you normal again!" Kagome smiled briefly at her mother as she stormed by. "And we'll be leaving in a few minutes, I just wanted to say goodbye." The anger dwindling in her brown eyes, Kagome walked back down the hallway to give her mother a hug goodbye.

"Bye, Mom. I hope your friend gets better soon!" She said sincerely, shoving aside her anger at Inuyasha just for a moment. She didn't know when she'd next see her mother, so best to say a real goodbye. "Say bye to Grandpa and Souta for me, please?" She asked. But behind the polite request there was a tension.

Mrs. Higurashi nodded and grabbed her suitcase before heading down the stairs. "I'll see you in a few days, okay?" Kagome turned around and waved again before stalking back down the hallway, the anger boiling back up. "That jerk," she muttered. "Making such a big deal out of it. It's not like anyone died!"

For a moment there, though, she was afraid. When the scroll disintegrated, the power had nowhere to go, and in that moment Kagome thought that she would surely lose herself inside the huge influence of her spiritual power. But everything had turned out fine. She turned the corner sharply and headed downstairs, not sure about where she was going.

Her feet took her around another corner and Kagome found herself at the door to the library-ballroom. Carefully, almost reverently, she pushed the doors open to let herself in. They creaked in weary protest as they admitted her. Kagome paused at the doorway in surprise. "Oh…"

"We've got to stop meeting like this," Inuyasha said as he looked up from where he was sitting. "It's starting to creep me out." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Kagome paused for a moment before sitting down. To be honest, her anger had quickly abated, leaving behind a slightly awkward tension between them.

Without saying anything, Kagome sat down on the floor next to him and put her chin on her hands. They sat in silence for a while, neither of them having anything to say. The door creaked open yet a third time and Shippo stuck his head in. "Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to **intrude**…" He stressed the last word with an all-knowing smile.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha demanded and glared at the little kitsune. Shippo grinned back benignly at the irate hanyou and danced out of harms way as Inuyasha made a half-hearted swipe at him.

"Oh, you know…" His grin widened and a mischievous light glimmered in his green eyes. "I don't want to interrupt anything…" Inuyasha growled incomprehensively and made another swipe at Shippo while Kagome stuttered, blushing, in the background.

"Take it back, brat!" Inuyasha's face was also tinged pink. "Or you'll regret it!" He bopped Shippo on the head with his fist and the little fox demon went skittering away, muttering under his breath darkly. "That brat…" Inuyasha huffed for a moment, still staring at the door with irritation in his amber eyes.

He paused for a moment, then sat down again next to Kagome with a sigh. They lapsed back into silence. "Kagome!" Sango's voice echoed down the hall. "You have a visitor!" Kagome scrambled upright and turned to Inuyasha.

"Good thing I did the spell this morning," she commented and walked out of the room. "Bye!" Inuyasha waved briefly back at her. Wait… visitor… he sniffed delicately. But from where he was located, he couldn't smell whoever it was, only Kagome and the dusty smell of old books. Kagome's scent… He sniffed again, then stood up, feeling curious. Who was the visitor?

White ears twitched as he caught a snatch of conversation. "-and it's nice to see you, too." Kagome sounded slightly flustered. "How long are you staying here, anyway?" Golden eyes narrowed as he heard a light-hearted masculine voice reply.

"Just a few more days," It was Hojo, Kagome's "friend" from her old home. "I thought that I'd drop by before I left. So how are things?" Inuyasha stomped out of the room purposefully.

"Oh, pretty good…" Kagome sounded distracted as the intent hanyou neared her location. "Here, would you like to sit in the living room? I'll be right back-" He heard her footsteps coming closer quickly, and then he was face to face with Kagome.

"Don't you dare…." She trailed off and let the threat hand in the air. "Look, he's not going to be here for long-" Inuyasha cut her off abruptly.

"He'd better not be!" The half-demon exclaimed hotly. "I can't stand his stench, or his whiny voice!" Or the fact that Kagome kept smiling at that idiot stupidly the whole time…

"What's wrong with you? Why do you hate Hojo so much?" There was as much perplexity as anger in her voice. Brown eyes stared into amber as Kagome \asked the question.

Inuyasha stopped to think for a moment. "He's an idiot, he's stupid, he's wimpier than Kouga, and he's disgusting!" He blurted out quickly. "And he makes the house stink."

Shippo rounded the corner on Miroku's shoulder and put in his own two cents. "And he likes you," The kitsune pointed out to Kagome. A few moments later, Shippo was nursing a large bump on his head. "Well, it's the truth, isn't it! You're just jealous!"

"Higurashi?" Hojo called from the living room. "Are you all right back there?" Kagome hastily scurried back into the living room, blabbering meaningless assurances as she did so.

With a look of determination on his face, Inuyasha stomped off after her. Deftly, Miroku brought his staff down on the hanyou's head with a jangling clang. "You mustn't follow her, Inuyasha," he told the stunned demi-demon as he lay on the floor, stunned. Shippo snickered as they continued down the hall.

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

"So, Higurashi," Hojo folded his hands neatly in his lap and watched Kagome with solemn eyes. "I was wondering if you'd like to see a movie sometime, before I go I mean."

Kagome fidgeted in her seat and avoided his eyes as she replied. "Well, I'm pretty busy. When do you mean?" How could she get out of this without hurting Hojo's feelings?

"Well, would tomorrow or the next day in the afternoon work?" Hojo asked with a hopeful smile. "I'm leaving the day after, in the morning." Kagome's mind raced as she came up with an answer.

"I don't know." She tucked a stray strand of black hair behind her hear. "I'm pretty sure that I'm busy. We've still got a lot of moving in to do, unpacking." She said lamely. Hojo nodded solemnly.

"Maybe some other time, then?" He asked carefully. Kagome nodded emphatically. "Well, I've got to be going, "He smiled and handed her a small wrapped package.

"Uh… Thank you. Hojo." Kagome stared at it in bewilderment. Inside the bag was a pair of sandals. "But, what are these for?" Hojo grinned and indicated the back door.

"I noticed that your were getting old, so I got you some new ones. Are they the right size?" Kagome nodded dumbly. "When are you coming home, anyway?" Hojo walked towards the door.

"Huh?" Home? But… where was home? She'd become so attached to the people living with her here and the clean air and big spaces. But at the same time, she did miss her old friends and all the convenience of the city. "I'm not sure, actually. It depends on how the construction goes." She shrugged as Hojo took his leave. "Well, thanks for stopping by!" She waved as he walked away and shut the door behind him with a sigh.

A shadow fell across the door and Kagome whirled in surprise. It was Inuyasha, and he didn't look very happy. Kagome tried to walk past him without a confrontation, but he moved into her path and blocked her way. "You're leaving?" His voice was harsh.

"Oh, not for a while. Our house burned down, so they've got to rebuild it before we move back in." Kagome mentally sighed in relief. He hadn't exploded in her face about Hojo, like he did the last time. Amber eyes stared into brown searchingly for a moment.

"Oh…" He turned away and stalked up the stairs without a backwards glance or any rude remarks. Kagome frowned, troubled. This was strange for Inuyasha. Something was wrong…

"Hey, wait!" She followed him up the stairs and reached for his arm. Inuyasha pulled away more violently than he might've done normally and Kagome's worry intensified. "Inuyasha, what's wrong?" The hanyou didn't turn around to reply, and just kept walking. "Please, Inuyasha!" She protested. "Can't you tell me?"

Inuyasha snorted. Was she honestly so blind? It was like a slap in the face; "Oh, not for a while. Our house burned down, so they've got to rebuild it before we move back in." And she could be so nonchalant about it! Discard them all like that. Oh, she had better things to do that stay with him. And Shippo, and Sango and Miroku, too.

He'd be all alone again…. Another five hundred years, and then what? "It's not like that!" Kagome protested and grabbed his shoulder again. Inuyasha stiffened. Had be said it aloud? "I'm not just abandoning you!" Her brown eyes were troubled. "You can come with us. There's not as much room as there is here, and the city's so crowded, but you can come!"

Now that she really thought about it, did she really want to leave? And again, where was home? She'd lived in Tokyo all her life; the busy, crowded city was so familiar and comforting. She was part of a whole, one among many. But then, at the same time, this big, old rickety house outside Maebashi was had become part of her, too. She like the sloping hills and the long green grass, the quiet. While the city was so full of life, here everything was thriving as well. Where was home?

(•.•)

( • )--

"Again!" Sango shouted up into the sky. Obediently, Kirara dropped the fluttering piece of scarlet fabric down to Earth. Brown eyes narrowing with concentration, Sango hurled Hiraikotsu to the sky. The large weapon swung around and caught the scrap of cloth before whirling back around and returning to the exterminator.

"You have good aim." Sango started and turned. Miroku was watching, impressed. "It must be especially difficult with the wind blowing the cloth around." He picked up the scrap of red as it fluttered by his feet.

"Lots of practice," Sango said modestly. "And Kirara hadn't dropped it from too far up," she added. Miroku shrugged and sat down on the grass with a sigh. "Something wrong?" Sango asked.

"I've never seen anything like it," Miroku admitted. "What Kagome did. It comes as a shock, you know?" He shaded his purple eyes from the sun to watch Sango. The exterminator nodded in agreement. "Don't you think?" The black-haired man asked.

"It does, but I guess I'm just dealing with it differently." She shrugged and set Hiraikotsu down on the grass. "Just accepting it, you know?" She sat down next to him. "Dwelling on it isn't going to change anything." She turned to look at him skeptically. "And you're the one who's grown up with all this stuff surrounding you." Miroku nodded in agreement, a rueful smile on his face.

"Ironic, isn't it?" He stared up at the clear blue sky above. "I've believed so firmly for my entire life, and here I am, shocked." Sango nodded and stared back at the house. "But I've never seen anything like that," he repeated. "All the spells I've heard of, that I've learned, you can't burn the parchment away. The spell is a part of the parchment, a base to the spell. Every spell has a base, a medium, and a subject." He recited. "Kagome had no base. She had no medium; the scroll with the kanji burned away, leaving behind just the essence, the spell itself." He shook his head. "That just shouldn't be possible."

"That's what Kagome said about cutting demon's heads off," Sango commented. "It can't be alive; it's got to die! After all, it has no head. That's what scientists would say about Inuyasha and Shippo. Not possible."

Miroku inclined his head in agreement. "You're right there. And the spell worked. That's all there is to it. You do something and it works, it works." He shrugged and stood up. "Thanks, Sango." He grinned at the exterminator.

"No problem," Sango smiled back. He walked back to the house. The demon exterminator sighed and put a hand to her suddenly hot face. "What is wrong with me?" She murmured and stood up herself, Hiraikotsu in one hand. She didn't try to search for the answer as she tossed the large boomerang up into the sky.

Though, if she searched, she could've found it very easily.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Okay…" Kagome hummed to herself as she inspected her room. Nothing out of the ordinary was there to weird out her friends or to put her under suspicion. "Ah!" On the top of her bureau was a photo that she'd taken a few weeks ago. Her mother had had a few pictures to spare on the last roll of film, so Kagome just snapped a few. She smiled to herself as she took the picture in its frame into her hands. Two of them came out really well. This one was of Inuyasha –as a poltergeist, of course, which was why she'd have to hide it- and the half-demon was floating a few feet of the ground and looking rather irritable as Shippo bounced around in the background.

While the picture wasn't spectacular- Sango was a brown-headed blur in the background as she walked into the kitchen and it was slightly lopsided- Kagome found it rather endearing for some reason. Carefully, she put the photo away in her drawer and gave her room another once-over. "Oh!" Every time she did this, she seemed to find something new.

Carefully, she picked up the old bow that she'd used in archery camp. "Now, where are the arrows?" She didn't question how it had gotten into her room; someone was probably unpacking things and had found it. Her fingers itched to see if she was as good a shot she'd been a few summers before.

Feeling rather excited, she grabbed a few empty cardboard boxes that were sitting in the corner of the room and headed outside with the boy in hand and quiver on her back. She turned the corner and rushed down the stairs, pausing only momentarily to put on her shoes and smile to Sango as the exterminator entered the house.

Eagerly, Kagome set a box down on the grass and stacked the other two on top of it as a target. Moving away until she was a good distance from her makeshift target, Kagome strung the bow and grabbed an arrow. Carefully, tremulously, Kagome aimed at the target and shot. "Whoops!"

The arrow went astray, a good few feet left of the target that she'd made. "Practice makes perfect, right?" Kagome said aloud sheepishly. It **had** been a few years, though. But then again, she hadn't been that good to begin with. But the camp had only been a week long, and the bow was too big for her. Now, she might be able to do it right. She could be useful if they got attacked again.

Walking slowly to the grass behind the target, Kagome found the arrow and picked it up. She walked back to where she'd been standing and took aim again. And missed, but this time by less. Then again, that just might be luck.

Kagome sighed. This was going to take a while to get right….

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

"Inuyasha!" The demi-demon looked up with an irritated expression in his golden eyes. Shippo stared at him with accusing green eyes as he wandered up to him. "What did you say to Kagome?" He demanded.

Inuyasha looked at him, taken aback. "What did **I** say!" He retorted hotly. "Why is it always my fault? She's the one who-" He cut himself off and growled. Shippo kept staring, nonplussed.

"If you're so innocent, then why is Kagome mad enough to shoot things?" Shippo demanded, peering at the hanyou. "She's outside now, screaming her head off and shooting things." Inuyasha looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Well, I didn't do anything," he said hesitantly. Did calling her a selfish moron count as nothing? Shippo pounced on the small hint of doubt in Inuyasha's voice and began to recite a long list of accusations.

"You know, whatever you did really hurt her feelings and made her really mad. She's been out there for forever, and she keeps muttering under her breath and stomping around. I'm afraid that she might kill someone by accident, and it's all your fault!" Shippo was really piling on the guilt and Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably in his seat on the floor of the ballroom. "Go, see for yourself." Shippo indicated the two bay windows that looked out upon the garden.

Reluctantly, Inuyasha stood up and moved to the window, only to leap back with a shout. "Shit!" An arrow hit the floor with a twang a quivered to a halt. "Hey, Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted out the window. "Watch where you're aiming these things! Are you trying to kill me?"

"And if I am?" Kagome asked sourly from a few yards away. Inuyasha snorted and pulled the arrow out of the floor. Kagome hopped through the open window and stumbled on the floor a bit.

Inuyasha handed her the arrow and looked at her with scrutiny. "Then you'll have to do better than that." He told her, arms folded up his red sleeves. "Your aim sucks." He said flatly.

"Gee, thanks." Kagome retorted and scrambled back out the window. "But that's why I'm practicing." She walked back to the boxes and beyond. Lining up the arrow to the target, she aimed and let go. "Yes!" She cheered, a triumphant smile on her face. "I finally hit the target!"

Inuyasha stared at her incredulously. "That's pathetic." He said flatly and leaped effortlessly out the window and landed next to Kagome. "And how long have you been practicing again?" Kagome looked at him pointedly and drew back the bow, aiming a nonexistent arrow at him.

"Pow!" She said, then lowered the bow with a sigh. Rolling her arms wearily, she yawned and stretched. "My arms are so sore. I've been out here for forever." She pulled an arrow out from the quiver and whirled around, took aim, and fired. "Got it!" The top box toppled to the ground.

Inuyasha looked at her in astonishment. "And just a moment ago you were missing the box every time," he commented. That last shot was fired with miraculous instant precision that rivaled Kikyo's…. Something ominous stirred in his gut. They were so similar that it couldn't be a coincidence. Yet at the same time, Kagome and Kikyo were such opposites; they weren't alike at all in personality. Inuyasha stared at Kagome with scrutiny. And their eyes were completely different. Kagome's hair was shorter and wavier than Kikyo's.

"Did I grow a second head or something?" Kagome asked as he continued to stare. Inuyasha turned away abruptly, embarrassed to be caught staring. Kagome walked over to the boxes and picked the up, pulling the arrow out of the last one and inspecting it before putting it back in the quiver. The afternoon sun sank lower on the horizon, lighting everything with an orange glow. Kagome's shadow stretched as she stood up with the boxes in hand.

With Inuyasha next to her, Kagome walked to the window and hopped through, stumbling from the drop. Inuyasha's hand steadied her and she regained her balance. "Thanks," she told him. Inuyasha nodded in response. Kagome winced slightly and shrugged her shoulders. She was so sore. She hadn't done anything like that for ages.

"I think that you overdid it," Inuyasha commented. Kagome nodded in agreement. "Hot water will help." The hanyou suggested, staring at the wall distractedly. Shippo bounced out from behind a corner and landed on Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Thanks," the black-haired girl said again. "I was going to take a shower anyway." Without another word- she was exhausted, really- she trudged up the stairs to the bathroom, intent on her shower.

(•.•)

( • )--

"Four weeks," the voice breathed into her head and through her pale lips. Dark eyes glittered with an anticipation that was not hers as she relished in the words that she spoke. "Four weeks." Through an unspoken command, the white-haired head leaned over the silver mirror as an image rose to the surface, then blurred and dissipated into nothing.

"What?" Naraku's consciousness echoed with incredulity inside her head. "Kanna…" The demon girl stared into the mirror with eyes as dark and boundless as bottomless pits. The surface swirled milkily, but nothing appeared.

"I can't see," Kanna whispered. "Something is blocking the mirror." Naraku's consciousness stirred uneasily. This wasn't expected. This wasn't anticipated, or welcome.

"What is this?..." The imprisoned demon searched his memory and knowledge. What, indeed, was it? A spell, a shield. Something stirred from the deep recesses of his memory, yet illusively escaped his reach.

"Kanna, try once more…" Obediently, the white-haired demon leaned over the mirror and stared into its depths. Slowly, and image swirled to the surface, a stone dragon on an old wall in the middle of the country.

"Kagura…" Kanna whispered. The wind witch stirred from where she was sitting just outside of the exit of the cave; to come closer would've been a very painful suicidal act.

"What is it?" Scarlet eyes glanced at the older of the two siblings. Kanna stood up from her seat on the ground and turned the mirror towards her. Kagura received mental instructions along with the image. "Asahikawa? That's pretty far out…" Without a backward glance, Kagura pulled the feather out of her hair and left.

"Four weeks…" Naraku whispered through Kanna's lips after Kagura. Kanna settled down next to the urn again. "Show me, Kanna." The mirror clouded over again.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Blehhh…" Kagome flopped onto the couch with a heavy sigh. She was exhausted. Archery required not only physical energy, but mental energy as well; focus on the target, aim, fire.

Miroku passed by with raised eyebrows at her rather pathetic state. "Are you all right, Kagome?" He asked uncertainly. Kagome nodded into the sofa cushions and yawned. "Well, I'm about to start dinner, if you'd like anything to eat," the black-haired man offered kindly.

Kagome was suddenly aware of a gnawing feeling in her stomach in response. "Food would be great," she said gratefully. She reconsidered for a moment. "Wait, what are you cooking?"

Miroku looked at her with an injured expression. "Why does no one trust my cooking?" He asked and wandered into the kitchen. "It's not like I've made anything particularly atrocious." Shippo glanced at him in amusement from his seat at the kitchen table.

"What about that noodle-thing with the salad dressing?" The kitsune wrinkled his nose in distaste. "That was the grossest thing I've ever eaten." He said flatly. Miroku nodded reluctantly.

"That was a bit… off, wasn't it?" The black-haired man set a pot of water to boil on the stove and started to rummage through the refrigerator for various ingredients. Shippo watched with skepticism written all over his face as Miroku set a carton of milk, onions, a potato and some ginger on the counter.

"I think I'll go now," the ginger-haired kitsune remarked hastily as he hurried out of the kitchen. "Kagome, do you know how to cook?" Suddenly Miroku's dinner didn't seem so appetizing anymore…

Kagome brought her head up from the couch and looked at the young demon in alarm. "Is it really that bad?" She asked. Shippo nodded fervently. The exhausted girl paused to think. "Well, there's always take-out." She suggested with a helpless shrug. "I'm to tired…" With an exhausted yawn, she stumbled upright and wandered towards the hallway. "I'm going to bed."

With a resigned sigh, Shippo flopped down on the carpeted floor with a groan, wide green eyes staring up at the ceiling with hopelessness. "I'm doomed…"

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"…and in further news, a woman was found this evening dead in her apartment room. Police are still investigating the incident but have so far no leads or evidence to the incident being murder-" Souta turned away from the large screen in the station as his mother grabbed his hand to board the train.

Large brown eyes took everything in with fascination. He'd never been on the Shinkansen before. In some ways it was similar to any other subway; the cars, the stations. But the tickets were more expensive, apparently, and the cars were marginally less squished. "Souta, hurry up!"

Mrs. Higurashi beckoned anxiously as she went towards the front of the train, a few hastily-packed bags gripped close to her to keep from losing anything. Souta scurried along, ducking behind people and stepping over luggage. "I don't want to get separated and have you end up in Hokkaido, understand?"

"Mom, the Shinkansen doesn't extend to Hokkaido." Mrs. Higurashi nodded absently and glanced at her watch for the umpteenth time in five minutes. The older woman glanced at her father and then at the schedule.

"Oh, of course you're right, Souta. I wasn't thinking, sorry." The black-haired boy shrugged carelessly. "Oh, I can't believe it!" Mrs. Higurashi suddenly burst out. "I haven't talked to her in years! And suddenly she has Hepatits!" She shook her head regretfully. "We should've stayed in touch," She glanced out the window as the scenery went by in a blur.

"Well, it's curable isn't it?" Mr. Higurashi assured his daughter. "I'm sure that Yuri will be fine. That's what her husband said, right?" The black-haired woman nodded and sighed.

"And to think I left Kagome, Miroku, Sango and Inuyasha with Shippo all alone!" She laughed softly. "But they're all responsible people and they'll do fine on their own for a week." Mrs. Higurashi thought aloud.

"A week?" Souta looked at her in surprise. "I was thinking a few days." His mother shook her head. "Oh. But that gives me time to see my friends in Tokyo, right?" It was certainly a shorter drive.

"Of course, Souta." She suddenly turned to her son. "I'm sorry that I dragged you along," she apologized. "But Yuri has a son your age and he'd like some company. Do you remember him? You met before when you were about three. His name is Takai."

Souta rolled his eyes. "Of course I don't remember! Three was ages ago!" Said the ten-year-old. "But I'd like to meet him." He added to his mother, who nodded distractedly, her gaze once again directed out the window.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

Kagome rolled over in her bed in search of a more comfortable position. She couldn't sleep, despite her exhaustion. Brown eyes blinked sleepily open to stare at the white ceiling above. Her mind was working into overdrive, whirling around in a torpid storm, and she didn't know why.

There was something about home, about knowing where your home was. And really, she didn't know. If someone asked her where she called home, she wouldn't have an answer. Where was home?

Black hair fanned across a fluffy white pillow as Kagome turned away, eyes still staring at the ceiling. The covers suddenly seemed to hot, to confining. With a weary sigh and a wince as weak muscles protested being used, she pushed the oppressive comforter to the side. Flopping down to the bed again, her eyes met the photograph that she'd placed in her drawer. It had fallen out when she pulled out her clothes from the drawer and lay on the floor face up, Inuyasha's face glancing with slight irritation at Miroku, who wasn't framed in the picture.

With a sleepy smile, Kagome readjusted herself one more time and closed her eyes tightly. Home, she decided, wasn't a specific place. No, home was a feeling, one of belonging and happiness. She snuggled under the thin sheets, a small smile gracing her face as she drifted into sleep.

Home was where the heart was, and there was no question of where her heart lay.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

AN: So, how was it? Any mistakes? I don't know much about the Shinkansen –the bullet train- in Japan, only its route and the fact that it's really, really fast. So please tell me if I messed up!

Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope that your day/night is just wonderful! (Feeling very benevolent to humankind in general today…)


	17. New Arrivals

AN: Ha HA! I finally figured out how long Japanese summer break is! In Japan, summer vacation is only one month long and takes place in the middle of the school year. And the students get a ton of homework during that break. The school year starts in April and ends in March. (Yikes! I feel very lucky and privileged in comparison, with no homework over summer and about two months free.)

Due to this discovery, I have decided that Kagome is being home schooled due to lack of schools close by her house. Souta is, too. But since that isn't too big a part of the story- yet posed as a dilemma for a while- I'm not going to go back into the later chapters and add too much about Kagome's school work. Maybe a reference here and there, but nothing besides that. And then another question: why would Mrs. Higurashi move her children all the way out there if she knew there were no schools around in the area? Hm… I'll have to think of an answer to that one, too.

Oh, and please excuse the foul language that Inuyasha uses in this chapter! He gets a little mad in some parts. Just thought that I might warn you…

Oh, one more thing. (Sorry 'bout this.) This weekend, I'm planning to learn all the little nuances in my computer. Programs that I don't know anything about: iMovie, iDVD, Adress Book, Microsof Excel. And then there's all the other stuff that I don't even know that I have on here! And there's the .Mac thing. Apparently I can make websites. Ooh. I've had this computer over half a year and I feel that it's time to figure out how to use this thing! (It's too bad I don't know anything about computers… I'm especially excited about the homepages thing. It says, "Easy, elegant websites." Funny how it never mentions a price… hm…)

So I'm apologizing now if there's any delays. And for the rampant bout of rambling that just took place.

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More responses:

**Moonlit Showers aka Inukag Fan**: I'm impressed! (You really think it's one of the best! Thank you!) Well, I'm not sure about publishing this thing- waaaaaay too many typos (gotta work on those once I'm finished)- but thanks so much! (That is one of the highest compliments I've received for this story.) I love the InuKag pairing, too. My favorite!

**Animekitty07**: You're right, it has been two months! Feels like longer for me… I'm rather alarmed by the fact that this is chapter 17, despite the fact that I haven't been writing this fic for a long period of time... I was hoping to have it twenty chapters long, but at this point I think that it's going to be a bit longer, too. So maybe- all in all- three months to write! (Wow!)

**Akeryou-Inuyasha-2112**: Thank you! In regards to Sesshoumaru, I'm not sure if he's going to pop up, and when. I've been thinking about it because I think that Sesshoumaru's a great character and very dynamic, but I can't really think of a place where he'd come it. And about Naraku: I'm sorry, but I can't give that away! (It would spoil the surprise and depends on how screwed up Kagura makes his plans. In short, maybe yes, maybe no.) And Kagome's friends might find out, but then again Kagome's spell was rather… unique in the way she casted it, so maybe not. (That'll be decided somewhere between this chapter and the next two or so)

**Tiamath**: Yes, fluff is addicting to write, for me at least. You probably get that feeling of impending disaster because, as you put it so well, "all hell is about to break loose"! Soon. Very soon, and in more ways than one. (I.E. Naraku's preparations and Kagome's friends)

**PippetJimmy**: It's all good! No worries, I totally understand. I'm glad that the fluff is satisfactory; I was just kinda fumbling along in that regard. It's actually kinda addicting to write about… I'm an obsessive Inu/Kag fan. I look through the manga for the fluffy bits and then I read them over and over again. (Isn't that pathetic?)

**Northern Star**: Thank you! And no worries, I **am** continuing until I finish! I refuse to stop in the middle and piss people off; I hate it when I read a great story and it doesn't have an ending! The sword Kajin-bo forged? Well, if I told you outright it would ruin the story, but you **will** find out! (Hint: who got the sword from him and gave it to Tsubaki under whose orders? Well, the second who is the person that you're wondering about. Sorry about the confusion that I must've stirred up there…)

**rin sama1989**: No problem! And yes, the Inu-tachi is going to be home alone for a while because sometimes adults get in the way. (Grins) Yeah, Miroku cooks like my friend, who'll put mustard on anything (anything! No joke!) and Chex cereal on pizza (sometimes her cooking's pretty cool, though, like the multi-fruit pancakes with the maple syrup stirred in with the batter instead of put on afterwards. Those were really yummy) I hope you feel better soon!

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Disclaimer: There's only so many ways to say that I don't own Inuyasha, and I'm running out of witty ways to do so. So, I'll just say it: Inuyasha ≠ mine. Tadah!

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Haunted

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Chapter Seventeen: New Arrivals

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"Yuri?" Mrs. Higurashi's smile was strained as she looked at her old friend in the hospital bed. "How are you doing?" She sat down in a chair next to the bed.

Yuri pushed her short brown hair away from her forehead and smiled, warm chocolaty eyes crinkling in the corners with mirth. "You look as if you're going to a funeral, Umeko." The invalid glanced at Souta and Mr. Higurashi, who stood in the doorway awkwardly. "Hello there!" She waved, determinedly cheerful despite her predicament. "Come in and make yourselves at home. Higurashi-san, it's been too long."

She offered her hand and Mr. Higurashi shook it warmly. "It has, Yuri." The senior nodded as he looked about the room. "You've certainly got a good room here," he commented. Flowers and balloons were scattered haphazardly on chairs and whatever flat surfaces were available.

"Only the best for the poor old lady," Yuri said with a smile. "The nurses are very kind and the food isn't so bad." She admitted. "And my family come to visit every day." Mrs. Higurashi nodded and glanced at a clumsily created get-well card, the crayon colors bright and scribbly.

"Oh, Yuri," the black-haired woman's smile faltered. "You should've called before! I would've come in an instant!" Souta fidgeted at the door, awkward at seeing his mother so emotional.

"Ah, but that's when everybody was visiting and crying. I couldn't have you in the same state then. I was much to busy and it would've been depressing." The brown-haired invalid joked. Mrs. Higurashi smiled in response and shook her head.

"Hello, there," Yuri beckoned at Souta with a grin. "You must be Souta. You must also be bored out of your mind." Souta stammered, taken aback by the woman's forwardness. "Oh, no, I understand. All ten-year-old boys are like that. There's a few magazines in the lobby and I think that Takai's left a few games here from his visits. He doesn't like visiting the sick, either. Even his poor mother!" Yuri chuckled.

"Th-thank you," Souta managed and fled from the room where the unnerving woman was talking with his mother. He headed down towards the lobby in search of something interesting to do.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Huh. I don't see anything out of the ordinary, do you?" Inuyasha peered out the window with Kagome at the scene unfolding before them in the garden.

"You're just not looking closely enough." Kagome ducked out of sight as Miroku turned towards the room, Inuyasha doing the same thing. She turned back to her companion in reconnaissance. "It's there, I swear! Sango has a thing for Miroku!"

Inuyasha looked at her skeptically with raised eyebrows. "You're kidding, right?" He paused to think for a moment. "Okay, so if she really does like him, why did she make that bet with him to keep his thoughts clean? If she likes him, she wouldn't mind if he touched her butt, right?"

Kagome rolled her eyes at his ignorance. "It's about more than that, Inuyasha." She glanced back out the window. "Ooh! Look! They're holding hands!" She grinned. "What did I tell you?" Gold eyes glimmered with interest as he poked his head out again.

"Okay, you were right." He admitted. "Hey, wait! If they liked each other, why would Miroku be running away?" He turned to Kagome with a grin. "Hah! Admit it, you were wrong!"

Kagome watched in surprise as the black shape that was Miroku tried to escape, Sango clinging to his arm and wailing something. They were too far away to make out exact words.

"Hey, guys. What are you doing?" Sango peered out the window with them upon the scene. There was a moment's silence as Inuyasha and Kagome looked at the demon exterminator in surprise. Sango developed a nasty twitch as she watched the two shapes in the distance.

"Wait, so that's not you…?" Inuyasha finally asked. Kagome shook her head as Sango stalked out of the room, growling something under her breath as she left, her hands clenched into fists.

"I told ya that she like him!" Kagome said cheerfully as Sango loped across the grass with Hiraikotsu in tow to break up the "love fest". Inuyasha shook his head.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Excuse me."

Miroku whirled around and came face-to-face with a cool and collected Sango, Hiraikotsu casually swung over one shoulder. The girl clinging to his arm looked at Miroku suspiciously. "You were lying! There's another one, I knew it!" She said shrilly, eyes bulging with fury. "You betrayed me!" Hastily, the purple-eyed man tried futilely to remove the woman's clutching fingers from his arm.

"Kei!" Miroku protested. "I did no such thing! Sango is just renting at the house, too!" He tried to reassure the woman. Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes and flow down her round cheeks.

She sniffed and wiped her nose on a tissue. "Th-then why didn't y-you ca-ca-call meeeee?" She wailed and clung even more tightly to the exasperated man's arm. "Y-you ne-never answered any of my m-messages!" She hiccupped, and stared at Miroku with watery eyes.

"That's because I had left and never got any!" Miroku protested and looked to Sango for help. The exterminator looked back coolly. Obviously, no help was coming from her. "Look, I have to go now, but I'll see you later, okay?" He had no such intention, but she didn't need to know that…

"O-okay, Mi-chan!" Miroku winced and waved as she detached herself from his arm and walked away, off the property and towards a small black car. "Promise you'll call me?" She screeched from the car.

Miroku nodded and waved again. "I can't believe that she managed to track me down…" He muttered as he continued to wave. He could feel Sango's eyes glaring a small hole in the back of his head as Kei started her car and drove away. He turned around in time to see Sango give him one last glare with fury in her brown eyes before she swung around and strode back to the house without a backwards glance. "Sango, wait!" He hurried to catch up.

Sango didn't turn around or even say anything to him as she continued back to the house. "Thank you." Sango turned to look at Miroku in surprise, her anger temporarily put aside.

"Thanks for what!" Her eyes hardened again as Miroku sighed in relief. He smiled at her, seemingly oblivious as he glanced behind him to where Kei had pulled away.

"For finally getting rid of her!" He smiled again and shook his head. "I can't believe that she caught up with me." Sango looked at him incredulously. Could he really and truly be that… that…? She shook her head and continued walking wordlessly, anger still making her distant to the purple-eyed man.

Kagome, Inuyasha and Shippo watched with wide eyes as Sango walked briskly back into the house, closely followed by a bemused Miroku. "I wonder what happened there?" Inuyasha asked Kagome out of the corner of his mouth.

Kagome shrugged. "What do you think? Miroku was just out womanizing again." The demi-demon looked at her in confusion and Kagome shook her head in despair. "You don't get it?"

"Get what?"

"I give up!" Kagome tossed her hands in the air and walked out of the room, leaving a very, very confused half-demon in her wake. Inuyasha blinked and looked at Shippo from his perch on the couch.

"Get what?"

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

Kouga shuffled his feet impatiently as he waited outside the front door. With a sigh, he raised his fist again and knocked loudly. "Hello!" He shouted. "Anyone home?" He peered around the side of the house and came back to the door, just in time to see an irritable Sango close it.

"Hey! Wait!" He knocked again and the door was flung open, the demon exterminator glaring at him haughtily as a small white demon-cat sat near her feet with a small mew.

"You wanna see Kagome, right?" Sango asked shortly and didn't wait for a reply as she called up the stairs. "Kagome! A visitor for you, and you might wanna get Inuyasha a restraint of some sort."

"Huh?" Kagome came down the stairs. "Why would I want to-" She stopped upon seeing Kouga. "Oh, hello." The black-haired said reluctantly. "What are you doing here, Kouga?"

The wolf demon grinned back and stepped inside without bothering to remove his shoes. Sango's eye developed a nasty twitch upon seeing the dirt that he trailed in onto the clean floor.

"Kagome!" He greeted warmly and clasped her hands. Kagome looked to the left uneasily. "I was just in the neighborhood and I thought that I'd stop by-" He stopped abruptly and sniffed. "Ugh, what is that **stench**? It reeks of dog!"

Inuyasha sauntered into the room and glared with hostility at Kouga. "Hm. I was about to say the same thing about you, mangy wolf." He stepped between Kagome and Kouga and folded his arms across his red-clad chest.

"Look who got resurrected." Kouga snorted. "No wonder it stinks so much." He waved a hand in front of his face and looked behind Inuyasha to talk to Kagome. "You should really get some air freshener in here, or something. How can any of you stand this stink?"

With a snarl, Inuyasha made a swipe at Kouga. The wolf demon moved out of the way with inhumanly speedy grace. "Huh. Is that the best ya got? No wonder you were dead the last time I saw you. You couldn't kill a snail with that speed!"

"You think you're so great," Inuyasha snarled and aimed another grab at the wolf demon. "So why are you running away?" Kagome tugged on Inuyasha's sleeve to try and keep the confrontation at a minimum. "Let go of me, Kagome! I'm gonna pound that wolf!"

Kagome gritted her teeth and held on stubbornly. "Stop fighting, both of you!" She hollered for assistance. "Hey, Miroku! Sango! I need a bit of help, here! Quickly, please!"

"Just a moment!" Hiraikotsu clattered against the wall as Sango hurried down the stairs, Miroku following her closely. Perhaps a bit too closely… "Hands off, pervert!" Hiraikotsu met skull with a dull crack and a groan of pain.

"Sango…!" Kagome struggled with keeping a hold of Inuyasha's haori, her heels dug into the carpet. Sango looked up from the prostrate form of Miroku to quickly assist the black-haired girl.

With business-like precision, Sango raised the formidable weapon above her head, her face expressionless and bland as she brought the heavy boomerang down on first Inuyasha, then Kouga's head. The two demons collapsed and the demon exterminator looked to Kagome with a sincere and calm expression. "Problem solved." Kagome winced at the two still figures on the ground.

"Ouch," Shippo commented simply and stared after Sango's retreating form with wide green eyes. Jumping from the couch to Kagome's shoulder, the little fox demon whispered into Kagome's ear. "Sango's really scary."

Kagome nodded mutely in agreement. She'd left a trail of destruction behind her; Miroku collapsed on the stairs, Inuyasha and Kouga unconscious in the living room. Kagome winced. And judging from the loud crash and a curse in response from the hallway, she just knocked something over, too.

"Should we drag them outside?" Shippo indicated the two unconscious demons on the ground. Kagome paused to think for a moment before replying.

"I guess…" She said reluctantly after realizing that if they were going to fight, there was nothing she could do to stop them. The best place for them to do so would be outside. With a sigh- she hoped that neither of them would be offended- she grabbed Kouga by the foot and dragged him with difficulty towards the door. After a few minutes of struggling with Kouga's prone form, Kagome finally managed to dump him outside, yelping out "sorry!" when his head bumped over the threshold and onto the steps.

Wearily, she went back inside to grab Inuyasha and looked at him in surprise. The half-demon was looking at her with approval in his eyes. "So, you're finally getting rid of him. Took you long enough." He snorted. "Want me to finish the job?" He stood up and walked purposefully towards the door. "I'll throw him all the way to, to Hakodate."

Kagome blinked. "Uh, Hakodate doesn't exist anymore." Inuyasha faltered only momentarily at the door and Kagome suddenly found herself wondering what it must be like for him. He'd woken up, five hundred years later and everything was different. The people, the places, the technology… It must've been overwhelming at first. Everything and everyone that he knew was gone, erased by time.

"What?" Inuyasha barked at her, unnerved by the expression in her eyes. "If you've got anything to say, just say it already!" Kagome shook her head and cut off her train of thought.

"Never mind." She stopped and frowned. "Hey, don't do that! Inuyasha, put Kouga down!" With a grunt of exertion, the hanyou dropkicked the unconscious wolf demon across the property and beyond, a smug look of satisfaction on his face as he dusted off his hands.

"Well, now that we've got that mangy wolf off our hands, we can-" Inuyasha was bowled over by a dusty tornado, a look of surprise on his face. The tornado wound down to reveal a very angry and dirty Kouga, his sweatshirt covered in leaves and grass, some of the stuff caught in his black ponytail.

"You disgusting **dog**!" The enraged wolf youkai looked down at the trampled demi-demon with fury in his cerulean eyes. "How dare you!" Inuyasha sat up, equally angered.

"Hah! Maybe if you weren't sleeping like the weak hound that you are, you could've walked your ass out of here without help." The white-haired demon stood up, arms crossed, and glared at the other demon.

"Well, at least I can **kick**, unlike you! You couldn't even get me over that hill!" He pointed vaguely in the distance and stared challengingly at Inuyasha, who glared right back with equal belligerence smoldering in his amber eyes.

"That's 'cause you're so fat!" He snarled back. With an exasperated glance at Shippo, Kagome walked outside and tried to calm the two of them down to no avail. With a nervous glance down the passage that Sango had left by, Shippo winced as he heard Kouga snarl and the two of them began tussling.

Maybe he should call Sango…

(•.•)

( • )--

"Okay, bye! See you later!" Kagome's smile was more frazzled than cheerful and polite as Kouga started his car and pulled down the street. "Phew…" She sagged against the wall and wiped her brow, finally letting her exhaustion show.

The petulant sulk in Inuyasha's sullen glare was almost tangible as his golden eyes followed her everywhere. He'd given up from struggling against his bonds; Miroku finally resorted to restraining the hanyou with some powerful sutras and an impressive amount of orange string.

With an apologetic smile, Kagome made her way over to the constricted demi-demon and started to unravel the string and pull of the spells. "Sorry about this, Inuyasha, but if you could just get along with Kouga, then-"

"Shut up." Inuyasha looked the other way, clearly sulking. As soon as all the orange string was no more than a disorganized heap on the floor and the sutras a pile of harmless paper, the half-demon folded his arms across his chest and turned his back to Kagome.

The black-haired girl rolled her eyes and sat down next to him. "Look, I'm sorry that we had to do that, but things were getting out of hand! You almost knocked over the tree! And if you'd been just a few inches to the left that one time, we'd be missing a chunk of the kitchen. She shuddered. That had been a close one. Inuyasha didn't turn to reply and kept staring in the other direction obstinately. "Look, what's gotten into you lately? You've been really… well, touchy."

"We should be out hunting Naraku. Who knows what damage he's doing?" The demi-dog demon finally turned around, sincerity in his gold eyes. Kagome sighed. They'd been down this road too many times in the past week or so…

"And I said that if he hasn't done any damage yet, he probably wouldn't for a while, right? Plus, we don't know where he is, or what he looks like –you said he's a shape-changer- and where would we look?" She paused for breath. "I'm not saying that there's nothing we should do about it. I'm just saying that we should bide our time until things get settled."

"What do you mean by, 'settled'?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously, eyes narrowed. "Knowing that bastard, he's just biding his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to wipe us all out."

From the couch, Shippo said, "Now that's just paranoid, Inuyasha." The ginger-haired kitsune scurried down the hall and away as the irate hanyou glared at him with murder in his eyes.

"As I was saying," Kagome continued hastily. "There isn't anything we can do anyway, we all agreed on that, remember?" Inuyasha shook his head and returned his attention to Kagome.

"I don't think you understand," he said slowly, solemnly. "Naraku is… ruthless. A murderer. He's one of those people who hides in the shadows and sends others out to do his dirty work. The fact that he hasn't done anything yet doesn't mean anything. He probably has, but subtly. He cares for no one but himself, and won't do anything unless it benefits him." Inuyasha stared at the black-haired girl with dark emotion simmering beneath the surface of his amber eyes.

"So you're saying that we just get up and find this demon and kill him." Kagome said frankly. "Just abandon everything and go looking for Naraku, is that it?" Inuyasha paused for thought and then nodded.

"Basically, yes." His eyes held a deep solemnity, his mouth a grim line. Kagome stared at him openly with shock and surprise at his answer. Surely he was joking! How could he expect them to just leave without any explanation and… go!

The hanyou watched her carefully as Kagome's face displayed a variety of expressions to finally settle on bemusement. "Well, why don't we ask Kagura? She's Naraku's underling and she hates him. She'd probably help if we wanted to defeat him." The black-haired girl looked thoughtful as she surveyed her surroundings; the couch was keeled over on its side from Inuyasha and Kouga's fight.

"Are you kidding? That witch would probably just try to kill us. She wouldn't help us." Inuyasha snorted and picked at the orange string on the floor with distaste. Kagome shook her head in disagreement.

"I don't think so," the black-haired girl admitted reluctantly, slowly, as she thought it over. "Kagura… she isn't someone who'll do that. She'll only do something if the pro's outweigh the con's, and in this case, helping us is better than fighting us."

"That's 'cause she'd lose." Inuyasha started to untangle the brightly colored twine and growled as it got stuck around his thumb. He pulled it lose with a little more force than necessary and the stuff shredded beneath his claws. "Whoops."

"You know what I mean," Kagome's brown eyes stared at him pointedly. "She wants to get rid of Naraku, you can see that. And she needs all the help she can get." Kagome paused and frowned. "But why would she work for him in the first place, if she hates him…?"

Miroku paused on his way to the kitchen. "She's probably indebted to him in some way, or he's got a hold over her. We just need to find out what it is." Inuyasha growled as he pulled at more of the orange string, the stuff falling to shreds beneath his claws. Miroku shot him a pained look. "Please, I need that. Don't destroy it."

With a bit of grumbling, Inuyasha dissembled himself from the twine without destroying any more of it. "But how do we do that?" Kagome looked at Miroku with confusion written all over her face. "I don't get this at all."

"Neither did I, at first." Miroku assured her as pots and pans started to bang about in the kitchen. "But they do have a kind of logic to them. For a spell to work –usually, but apparently not in your case- they need a base, or something that you perform it on so that the spell something solid to keep its existence steady, a medium- something that the spell resides in, like the ink in a sutra, and a subject. That's the person or thing that you're performing the spell on." Kagome blinked.

"Huh?" The black-haired girl looked at him in bewilderment, Inuyasha sitting next to her with the same expression on his face. Miroku sighed and stuck his head out of the kitchen doorway.

"Would you like me to repeat it?" Purple eyes glanced distractedly at the stove to monitor whatever it was that he was cooking. Both Kagome and Inuyasha shook their heads fervently.

"No, that's okay." Kagome hastily assured him and stood up from her seat on the carpeted floor. "It's just a bit overwhelming at first." With a grimace, she headed for the stairs. "Speaking of overwhelming, I have some math to finish."

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Tsubaki, is she dead?"

The black priestess stood just outside Naraku's cave. If she ventured any closer, her Shikigami would be attacked by the sutras scattered about the room and purified. The white-haired woman nodded curtly, the demon-snake wrapped around her wrist and hissing softly.

"I cursed her to death. The police will have no idea why she died." Tsubaki's smile was smug as she looked at the black urn in the center of the cave. "Is there anything else, Naraku?" In the middle of the room, sitting with one palm on the black urn, Kanna blinked her black eyes and wordlessly held up her mirror.

Naraku's voice echoed from the nothing-demon's pale lips in a soft whisper like black silk. "I want her dead. And all the others that are with her." Tsubaki looked unimpressed.

"Two human girls, a man and a demon? No, a half-demon!" She almost laughed. "Of course. They'll be dead in half an hour." The black priestess turned to leave but something stopped her.

"Tsubaki, take a closer look in the mirror." Kanna stood up slowly and stepped towards the edge of the cave. Aquamarine eyes narrowing, the white-haired woman peered closely at the image in the mirror.

Eyes widening in shock, she stepped back, her Shikigami hissing wildly as it lunged back as if to strike. "But she's dead! You saw her die, didn't you?" She looked beyond the mirror towards the urn.

"I killed her myself. Well, actually I didn't." There was dark humor in Naraku's voice as it issued from Kanna's mouth. "She died because she used her entire life force to seal me and one other away. It was her own fault for getting the hanyou mixed up in it. Stupid woman. She would've lived out a full life if she had sealed just me."

Tsubaki nodded, her eyes fixed on the mirror as Kikyo whirled around and fired an arrow at some cardboard boxes as the red-clad hanyou stood next to her and watched. She hit the top box and the assemblage toppled over into the grass. "As good of aim as ever, I see." Tsubaki remarked coolly. "Well, I'll soon put an end to it."

"Oh, one more thing, Tsubaki."

Yet again, the white-haired black priestess turned to look at the nothing-demon that spoke for Naraku. Colorless lips opened to speak for him and black eyes like bottomless pits stared into clear cerulean eyes.

"Kagome is dangerous, perhaps more so than her predecessor."

Tsubaki nodded in a business-like fashion and headed back up the surface, her mind whirling with possibilities and revelations. "Kagome. Hm." Her Shikigami's slit-pupiled eyes met her own in a brief exchange of knowledge.

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

Sango sighed heavily as she wrung out her long hair. Kirara blinked and mewed as some water fell on her. The little demon mewed again, softly, as Sango flopped down against her bed with a weary sigh and a yawn. "Wake me when it's dinner, 'kay?"

Kirara blinked crimson eyes and watched as Sango fell asleep, a small frown on her face. With one backward glance, the little fire cat exited the room and headed down the stairs. An argument was breaking out between Shippo and Inuyasha.

"Brat!" Inuyasha's voice rang out across the house brazenly. "Take it back!" There was a crash as the sofa fell over and Shippo's laughter echoed throughout the large building. Eyes wide with curiosity, Kirara peered down the stairs. Shippo was a large pink bubble trailing little bits of foxfire everywhere as Inuyasha lunged after him, fist raised in a promise of vengeance.

The little white cat demon stepped to the side quickly as the pair whirled by, Kagome following anxiously after in an attempt to quell Inuyasha's anger. It didn't seem to be working. In fact, Kagome was looking as if she was getting pretty mad herself.

Kirara blinked –this was a pretty common occurrence, sadly- and sauntered down the stairs to the kitchen with shouts of outrage in her wake. In the kitchen, Miroku was humming tunelessly to himself as he put together a variety of strange foods. With a delicate sniff, the fire cat sneezed –the smells were pungent, to say in the least- and treaded delicately towards the other feline in the room.

Buyo rolled one green eye in the demon's direction, then looked back at Miroku as he prepared dinner. Kirara and Buyo didn't get along very well; there was too large of a gap between the two's intellect. Looking down at the fire cat, Miroku asked, "Where's Sango? I haven't seen her since this afternoon." He frowned. She'd seemed rather upset after Kei left.

From near his feet, Kirara mewed and looked towards the hallway. Miroku nodded absently and turned his attention towards back to his cooking as something began to boil over on the stove.

"Stop!" Kagome's voice resounded from the hallway and Miroku winced slightly. She didn't sound very happy at the moment… Shippo rushed into the kitchen and scrambled onto Miroku's shoulder, breathless and laughing.

"GYAAAH!" There was a thud. "Dammit, Kagome! Let go of me!" There was another series of thumps –from which Miroku drew the wrong conclusion, a gleam in his eyes- and then another outburst from the irate hanyou. "Kagome, let go!"

"No! Just leave Shippo alo- HEY! PUT ME DOWN!" Kagome's voice was shrill with outrage and panic. "WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO JUST PICK PEOPLE UP WITHOUT THEIR PREMISSION! PUT ME **DOWN**!"

With curiosity, Miroku looked out through the kitchen doorway. Inuyasha was gripping Kagome by one arm as he tried to pull her grip from his sleeve. Kagome wasn't letting go any time soon, however. "Let **go**, Kagome!" Inuyasha growled as he struggled with her hand on his sleeve.

"What? So you can pound Shippo into pulp? No way! Can't you just sit down and talk about it or something?" Behind her back, the little ginger-haired kitsune stuck his tongue at the hanyou. Naturally, this only served to further infuriate Inuyasha.

"No way! You're **dead**, brat!" With Kagome still in one hand, Inuyasha lunged for Shippo, murder in his eyes. The fox demon laughed, still out of reach, and began to make faces at Inuyasha.

Kagome glared at the hanyou with rage equivalent to his own in her brown eyes. "No! You need to control your temper, and you are going to sit down and talk about it!" Desperately, she grabbed at him and her hands connected with the prayer beads around his neck. "Did you hear me! SIT!" There was a flash of light from the beads.

And then a most miraculous thing happened.

(•.•)

( • )--

"Long time, no see, wolf." Kagura leaned over on her feather to smirk at Kouga as he stood below her. He growled and cracked his knuckles in a menacing manner.

"Witch." He greeted shortly, cerulean eyes flooded with cold fury. "What do you want here?" From the house behind him, there was a soft yapping sound from his wolves.

"I just came to ask you something." Kagura waved her fan idly in the air, her feather held in place by the swirling winds that she controlled. "And I think that you might know the answer."

A twig snapped behind her and the wind witch whirled around, fan held at the ready as scarlet eyes narrowed. Behind her, Kouga laughed harshly. "Getting twitchy, Kagura?"

She turned coolly and closed her fan with a snap. "Just staying alert. I can never be sure what sort of underhanded trick you'll play on me." She was still very upset about the gun that he'd used on her last time.

Rage burned in Kouga's eyes as he glared at her. "Oh, **I'm** the one with the low, underhanded tricks? You're the one who slew dozens of innocent women and children out of pleasure!"

Kagura sighed and looked pointedly at the watch on her wrist in boredom. "Just following orders," she told him breezily. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have something to ask you."

"What makes you think that I'll give you an answer?" Kouga snarled and rushed at her. Kagura barely managed to swoop up in time. "The only thing I owe you is a painful death!"

The wind witch smiled viciously. "Yours or mine?" Kouga growled in response. "Now for my question. How old are you, Kouga?" The wolf demon blinked in surprise, his anger temporarily set aside.

"Why do you care?" Kouga stopped a few feet away, hands clenched into fists as he wondered what was going through Kagura's mind. She watched him through scarlet eyes that revealed nothing.

"Let's just say that I want to get to know you better, hm?" She smirked, yet watched him carefully at the same time. Kouga regarded her with just as much attention.

"I've been around a long time, if that's what you mean." He ground out, never taking his eyes off her in case she decided to try and kill him. He was surprised when she did no such thing.

"More than five hundred years, then?" Kagura could barely contain her excitement. Kouga nodded briefly, grudgingly. "Then you might recall an incident, five hundred years ago, involving a certain demon. His name is Naraku."

"What do you mean, is?" How bizarre was this? Kouga was shocked that they were actually talking –albeit hostilely- without trying to kill each other. Naturally, at the moment he was trying to find the perfect opening to strike her at. He couldn't see any. "Naraku's dead."

"Hm." She didn't deny or refute the statement. He was both wrong, and right anyway. Not dead, not alive. "Then you might also remember where he's hidden a certain… scroll?" She was treading on delicate ground, here. Yes, Naraku ordered her to retrieve the thing, but he never told her to give away its location… As Naraku put his plan into action, Kagura was making her own.

"Why would I tell you?" He snarled. "And why do you give a damn, anyway? Naraku's dead and gone, killed off by a priestess." Kagura nodded noncommittally. Kouga paused and digested Kagura's response. "Are you saying that that bastard's still out there?" For a moment, he almost forgot that the two of them were sworn enemies.

Again, Kagura shrugged. "I didn't say a thing. And don't expect me to, because that would be against my orders." She was dropping hints like crazy, almost recklessly, in hopes that the idiot wolf would get a hint. She looked at him in distain. Looks like he was getting it… "Thank you for your help," she said sarcastically, eyes narrowing. Kouga barely managed to move out of the way in time as her winds swept by with deadly speed.

"Don't think that you've repaid your debt, witch!" Kouga hollered after her, eyes blazing. "I'm still going to avenge all the innocents that you've slaughtered!" He watched as Kagura turned on her feather as it whisked her away.

"Like I said, just following orders!" She shouted back, her black bangs blowing in her eyes as her winds pulled her to her next destination. The wind witch turned again and looked ahead at the endless horizon as it rose to meet her.

She didn't like playing Naraku's subtle games. Kagura was not one for subtlety, for saying what others wanted to hear in order to get them on her side. She didn't like becoming allies with those she despised. But Kagura was no fool, and she knew that she couldn't take Naraku out on her own. She needed help, as much as she could gather. Even if it meant turning her bitter enemies onto her side of the confrontation, if there ever was one. She may be hated, but Naraku was loathed by all those who remembered him. And as he wove him own web of allies, she was making her own.

But the question was, whose allies would turn first? Hers, or his? It was a tricky game and Kagura was very new at it. But what Naraku lacked in allies was loyalty. Everyone on his side was in it for themselves, for their own gain. They had no reason to care if Naraku lived or died. If she could recruit the right people, she might come out ahead. Those on her side would also be involved out of self-interest- Naraku was not someone that you wanted wandering around. But their gain would be Naraku's demise. That would be their main goal. She didn't give half a thought as to how those relationships ended up afterwards.

Kagura cursed quietly under her breath as her winds wrapped themselves around her in a cool embrace. Damn, but she hated to operate like this… it was a very delicate balance, indeed. Kagura was afraid that she'd tip it.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"SIT!"

Sango blinked. Shippo stared, bug-eyed. Miroku ran a hand through his black hair. One of them coughed as the silence dragged on.

"What the FUCK was that!" Inuyasha sat up, eyes wild with shock and indignation. "Kagome, what in all the hells did you do to me?" Kagome picked herself up from the ground- she'd fallen over- and looked at the hanyou in bewilderment.

"I did **that**?" She blinked, brown eyes wide with shock. She tucked a stray piece of black hair behind one ear. Inuyasha looked at her pointedly. "I don't know. Are you sure that was me?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Inuyasha snapped. "You yelled 'sit' and then I was smashed into the ground! You've got powers and who else could've done it?" Miroku coughed and everyone turned to look at him. Miroku had all the answers.

"You've certainly got an interesting set of prayer beads on you, Inuyasha." He stepped closer to examine them. "I have a feeling that it was Kagome who did it, not the beads themselves," he said finally.

Inuyasha swung round to glare accusingly at the black-haired girl in question. Kagome smiled nervously and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear again with apprehension. "Well?" Inuyasha growled.

The black-haired girl looked at him with perplexity written all over her features. "Well, what?" Kagome smiled apologetically as the irate hanyou took a step closer to her.

"Well, why'd you do it!" Inuyasha demanded hotly. "What the **hell** did I do to merit you smashing me into the ground!" Kagome was getting angry now, too.

"I didn't mean to! Can't you see that?" In the background, Shippo rolled his eyes from his perch on Miroku's shoulder as Sango and Miroku exchanged exasperated glances.

"Is there ever a time when they're not arguing?" Shippo whispered into Miroku's ear. The black-haired man shook his head wordlessly as they trio watched the ensuing fight escalate.

"Well you know what? I think that you **deserved** it!" Kagome shouted at Inuyasha. With anger flashing in his amber eyes and red-clad arms crossed over his chest, Inuyasha growled a retort.

"Huh! I always knew that you were a sick sadist!"

It was Miroku's turn to roll his eyes. Kagome was anything **but** a sadist. And any half-witted idiot –such as Inuyasha- could see that. Or should be able to see it. But in the heat of the moment, regrettable things were said often enough… And this was one of them.

Kagome finally snapped. With just one backward glance and a half-muted scream of frustration, the black-haired girl stormed out of the room. "And good riddance!" Inuyasha shouted to her retreating figure. The other three stared in fascination at her back. Was it just a trick of the light, or were there little kanji characters –as if from a spell- were glowing as they drifted through the fabric of her shirt?

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

For all his patience, Naraku was getting restless. Five hundred years he'd been waiting, yet he couldn't handle three weeks and five days? Time played tricks on his perceptions, stretching an infinite distance, making the next three weeks and five days seem endless in comparison to the centuries that he'd waited thus far.

"Three weeks, five days." Kanna's pale lips moved slowly as the demon she played host to savored the words. Kanna herself had infinite patience. The time would come. Anticipation changed nothing.

Not that anyone asked her opinion.

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

"Hello?" The fist came up to knock on the sturdy wood of the front door. "Kagome! Open up!" Eri exchanged a glance with Yuka as Ayumi knocked again. "Kagome!"

Yuka sighed. "You don't think that she forgot, do you?" She shifted her bag underneath her arm. Eri shook her head fervently and put down her bag. It was heavy.

"Kagome wouldn't forget." She knocked with Ayumi. "Hey!" She yelled impatiently. "Open up!" The door opened and she blinked in surprise. "Hello?" There was no one standing in the doorway. "That's kinda creepy."

"Down here." The three girl looked down at the ginger-haired little boy who stood in the doorway, looking slightly hassled. "You must be Kagome's friends, right?"

"Oh! Yeah." Eri smiled and leaned over as she picked up her baggage again. "What's your name? I'm Eri." She smiled invitingly and offered a hand.

"Shippo." He turned disinterestedly towards the inside of the house. "Kagome! Come on!" He hollered up the stairs, and a series of thumps came from above. Shippo looked exasperated. "KAGOOOOOOOMEEEEEE!" He scampered up the stairs, leaving the three schoolgirls in an awkward situation.

"Uh…" They exchanged glances. This was **not** the welcome that they'd expected… Kagome came rushing down the stairs, face flushed.

"Sorry, guys!" She apologized and tucked some stray hair behind her ear. "I was having a bit of a problem with my room." She grinned at her friends. There was a pause where they all stood, smiling at each other. "Well, come on! Don't you want to see the house?" She grabbed Yuka's arm eagerly, then turned. "Here, put your baggage in whatever rooms you want. Come on!"

She hurried back up the stairs, her three friends toting luggage followed behind and chatting. "So Kagome, where are the others who live here?" Eri hauled her large bag –she was one of those people who over packed for everything- up the last stair and put it down with a plunk on the landing.

"Well, Miroku's outside and so is Sango, I think. She's a demo- I mean, she's a weapons expert," Kagome laughed nervously. "She's practicing right now, I think. And you've already met Shippo-"

"Can I keep him?" Yuka asked solemnly. "He's soooo adorable!" She grinned. "How old is he, anyway?" Kagome thought before answering as the four of them continued down the hall to look at rooms.

"He's about eight." Of course, Shippo had the intellect of his demon years and the maturity of a six-year-old. It was all rather confusing. She opened the door to one of the empty rooms and Yuka set down her luggage.

"Really? Eight? He's the size of a five-ear-old!" She looked at the others. "Anyone mind if I take this room?" The other two shrugged carelessly and they moved down the hall.

"Well let's see," Kagome paused for thought. "My room's here, that one's empty, the next one on the right is Sango's and the one farther right and across is Miroku's. Inuyasha's is far to the left."

Eri looked at her curiously. "Who's Inuyasha?" The other's crowded around Kagome with conspiratorial glances. The black-haired girl nervously tucked a nonexistent strand of hair behind her ear.

"You never mentioned an 'Inuyasha'." Yuka was getting that gleam in her eye, and Ayumi was already drawing conclusions, if the smile on her face was anything to go on. "What's he like?"

"Well, he's a bit strange." Kagome began and fervently hoped that he wasn't eavesdropping at the moment. And he'd better be wearing the spell that Miroku had put on him that morning, too. "He's got long white hair –longer than mine-" The others looked at her with surprise, "-and he wears weird clothes all the time, but he's really quite nice."

"And what's wrong with my clothes?" Kagome winced. It was just her luck that he happened to be passing by at that moment… Kagome's friends looked at him in interest. Inuyasha stared back. "Uh…" The looks they were giving him were unnerving. "I've gotta go now." He rushed down the hallway.

"He is a weirdo, isn't he?" Yuka asked with a sigh. "An albino? His eyes are the right color."

"And so is his hair," Eri agreed. "I wish my hair was like that…" She sighed. Ever since she was young, she'd kept her hair short. When it got too long, it tangled really easily and became more of a hassle than in was worth.

"I don't think he ever brushes it, either." Kagome admitted. Not once had she seen him take a brush to his head. He refused to wear anything besides his own clothes, too. The time that she'd been in his room, it looked as if no one lived there. Surprisingly, Inuyasha kept it immaculately clean.

"Really?" Yuka stared after the white-haired person even though he'd disappeared quite some time ago. "And it didn't look tangled at all." She turned back to Kagome. "So where is your mom, anyway? All you said was that she'd be gone."

Kagome nodded. "Her friend has hepatitis, I think. She's visiting her. I don't know when she'll be back, actually," she admitted with a grin.

Yuka looked at her in awe. "You mean she's letting you stay here all by yourself? My mom would never let me do that!" She paused. "Well, my mom is a control freak, too. But still."

"Yeah, how did you get her to agree to let you come? I mean, it's miles away from the nearest hospital and there's no adults!" Ayumi looked at her friend curiously. Yuka grinned back coyly.

"I told her that there were responsible adults renting here." Kagome snorted. Miroku was definitely not someone she'd call "responsible". At least not in terms of women. Sango was responsible, but not in terms of Miroku. And in no way was Inuyasha responsible.

"Well, come on!" Kagome signaled for the others to follow her. "I'm gonna show you the house!" She rushed off, the other three hurrying after her amid protests of the speed she was walking at.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

Man… I really, **really**, **REALLY** need to go back and edit the earlier chapters. I was rereading a bit in search of some info (who has the overprotective mother? Ayumi, Eri or Yuka? I never did find out for sure…) and I realized that I had a bunch of typos everywhere and grammatical errors. And then some. "Rewrite this, kill that, redo this, ect. And that just **needs** to go. And that's **begging** to be rewritten."

And Kagome's buddies were really mean to me… so any suggestions as to fixing 'em up?

But anyway, onto more urgent business.

_**PLEASE READ!**:_

Should I, or should I not keep Kagome's "Sit" spell on Inuyasha? I personally think he has too much on his plate already, what with Kagome's friends and being a poltergeist and such. There's only so much that I should heap on him, and I think that he's nearing the limit.

I would really, really value some insight on this problem. Every opinion counts! Tell me, please! It would be very appreciated. Very, very appreciated. So, do not think that your opinion doesn't count! It matters! It's like voting; every single person makes a difference, and if no one voted then the whole system would collapse! Poof!

(Anyway, thanks for reading! Much appreciated.)


	18. A DoubleEdged Blade

AN: I'm sorry about how long this took, people! Kagome's friends get a little eccentric sometimes, and bad things happened with them and everybody else. In order to fix it, I deleted the half that I'd written –it was going horribly- and came at it from a different angle. So, it took me a little longer than usual this time. Again, sorry and thanks for all the comments (all very helpful) about the Sit Situation. They were incredibly helpful!

So here's some more responses, in no particular order:

**rin sama1989**: Thank you! I put quite a lot of thought into Kouga this time. Last time he was a bit weird. I actually looked through some manga to get him right, and the fights between him and Inuyasha. I really like your way of thinking in regards to the spell! You put it perfectly, and so I'm going to quote you;

"Now, I think the "SIT" thing would work ok if you used it at simpler times, but if you use it too much (like in most other fics) than it seems like Kagome has to rely on the command to do everything with Inuyasha. It would be nice to see her solve some problems on her own, but the sit command could still be used. You already put it in there, you can't just get rid of it."

EXACTLY! It seems to deteriorate Kagome and Inuyasha's relationship at this point, which is why I didn't put it in before in the story. But then when Kouga and Inuyasha were fighting, I suddenly noticed how unchecked Inuyasha was and how that could become a real problem later in the story. (Hah, this **is** later in the story!) When "The Sit" is used, Kagome and Inuyasha don't really get a chance to really work things out. But I must admit, the beads are really useful sometimes, though I can't remember exact incidents.

**Sarah**: Well, unfortunately, it's a bit late to get rid of the spell completely –since I already put in it, taking it out would be rather strange; wouldn't flow with the rest of the story- but I agree; not too much! And you're right on that count; the Sit thing happened because she was really angry with Inuyasha, and because she grabbed the beads.

About Sesshoumaru: he might pop up later in the story. (I'm not sure if he will though, because I've never tried writing him before and it might turn out bad.) But I think that he'll come up at some point.

**fluffyrachel**: Thanks so much! As to how I get ideas, let's just say I have an overactive imagination. (sheepish grin) Yeah, after a while, writing long chapters just starts to become the norm. After the first few chapters that I made long, it's kinda settled in, I guess. And I think that the sit-thing's stayin'. Can't exactly get rid it now, despite how I feel about poor Inuyasha. And YEAH, this is an InuKag fic. (I completely agree with ya there. InuKag's my fave!) …And why do I get the feeling that you want them married…?

**Sammery**: Thank you! (I really, really didn't mean to make it like anything by Rozefire, I swear! But when I go back over it, things will change and it should be differed more from anything that she's done…) And I agree with you on that one; submission + curse (On Inuyasha) ≠ good. I've dug myself quite a hole, haven't I?

**DragonSlayer91**: Exactly; don't use it too much, but I hafta keep it at this point. And if I somehow put a limit on however many times she can do it, things would work out pretty well, I think.

**Sangome**: Yeah, I feel a bit bad about putting the little incident in at all! Things would've been a lot simpler… ah well. Yup, the poor guy's got so much stuff to deal with already, but at the same time, I've already put it up and all, so I can't just pretend that it never happened. It calls for mediation; Inuyasha can't be Sat as a poltergeist, so there's one solution. And the beads already have a spell on them, so it's kinda confusing.

**Mwepth**: I know what you mean- a little is a good amount, Sit-wise. Often, The Sit becomes the focus of attention. I'm afraid that if I keep it, it'll mess with my mind and stuff. But I totally agree with you; mediation is good and your examples (upset Kagome, ect.) are a good reason for why I **should** keep 'em. So it's in between, really.

**Taberah Blanc**: Don't worry, I think we're all a little freaky and bipolar sometimes. You're lucky in accounts to the cooking; my food always tends to revolve around cheese and unions. Love the combo, but… it gets a to be a bit much! And I put maple syrup all over my potatoes, and chicken, and broccoli. (Gross, huh? I think there's something very, very wrong with my tastebuds.) And I know what you mean. Inuyasha's got a lot on his plate (but then, don't all protagonists? Makes the stories interesting!) and to add one more seems rather heartless. I feel bad for him, really. And actually, I was thinking the same thing! Something along the lines of, "if Kagome touches the beads, she can sit him", or such. A restriction is a good idea- and wait, if he's a poltergeist, it wouldn't work, 'cause of him being immaterial. Hm. (There's food for thought. Would he sink through the Earth?)

**Auxana**: (cowers) ALL RIGHT! I'LL DO IT! JUST DON'T KILL ME! (just kiddin' witcha.) Anyway…. The beads to tie them together in a way, I agree. But I'm not sure if it's the beads themselves that make him kinder and more compassionate, if that's what you mean. (I think that it's Kagome who does that… grin) Unfortunately, I haven't **seen** the movie! Any of them! But I'm gonna buy them sometime soon, probably during the summer. I hope! No fear! I'll finish the story.

**Tiamath**: I must admit that I didn't intend for Kagome to turn out more mature. You're right there- Kagome can be pretty petty sometimes! But at the same time, she's pretty mature about some things, like death. (I swear, I'd run around screaming and throw up everywhere.) And yeah, the spell's useful sometimes. If the spell was a one-time thing, I realize that it would be quite random and out there, which wouldn't be good. Yet at the same time, it feels rather, oh I dunno, unoriginal. Ack.

Yeah, Kagome's friends are pretty much overblown typical giggly-girl teens, which I personally find only slightly infuriating. It does give a lot of contrast to Kagome, though. I might go off and develop their personalities more myself, but I'm going to try to keep 'em realistically canon at the same time. In other words, I'll separate them as individuals rather than having them all as complete airheads all the time, but they'll still be oblivious. I think.

And to your question; Tsubaki cursed… a random person who was somehow connected to Naraku's insidious plot! (Souta sees the news flash in which a random woman dies for absolutely no reason; Tsubaki cursed her.) As of now, she's not really important; just a way to make Naraku look busy (grin).

**Kiana-chan**: I agree completely on that one; the whole "sit" thing is used quite a lot, and I feel that I'm starting to stray a bit too close to the actual story if I add it in. And besides, the Sit Spell was originally cast to keep Inuyasha under Kagome's control because he was trying to kill her. At this point, I think that he's not going to be doing anything like that any time soon… so that's my reasoning behind the whole deal. I'm rather inclined to stay away from the spell, but it might come in handy at the same time. (Obviously I'm rather confused at the moment… There's good points and bad ones! At this point, I'm trying to sort them out and weigh them.)

**Animekitty07**: I can also see what you mean. The sit spell has it's pro's and con's to it, because Kagome has pretty much no control over Inuyasha, which can be seen as a good or bad thing, respectively. My thoughts on the whole thing: It works well in the series because if it didn't exist, Kagome would never come home! At the same time, in this setting it's not quite the same because –essentially- Kagome doesn't need it for a specific purpose, like to get home or to keep from Inuyasha from killing her, like in the beginning of the series. (Except with the whole Kouga thing, like last chapter. She couldn't restrain Inuyasha from fighting with him. That's the reason why I got to thinking about the spell in the first place.) I like your quote of the day, by the way!

x

**THANK YOU EVERYBODY!**

So I got the general idea that I should keep the Sit, but not use it often. It works!

Your thoughtful insights and second opinions really helped me think this through! Really, it was truly helpful and I am **SINCERELY** grateful! After much confusion and rereading of your comments, I think I have a solution, but it might not come out in this chapter; I'm not sure. (Never sure what's gonna be in the chapter until I write it, actually.) And if it doesn't pop up sometime this chapter, then I'll explain at the end in a note.

Again, thanks sooooooooooooooo much!

x

Disclaimer: Inuyasha Rumiko Takahashi, ect. Inuyasha ≠ Jessica. No way, no how.

x

Haunted

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Chapter Eighteen: A Double-Edged Blade

x

"Kagome?" The black-haired girl looked up from Yuka's pictures. Ayumi stood at the doorway, looking slightly embarrassed. "Where's the bathroom, again?" Kagome looked at Shippo from where he sat in Yuka's lap, a grin on his face and a lollipop in his mouth.

"Why don't you show her, Shippo?" The disguised kitsune looked at her with irritation, then sighed and squirmed out of Yuka's grasp. He trotted out of the room, Ayumi tailing closely after and apologizing profusely.

"Sorry, Shippo. I know that I've been here two days now, but I keep forgetting. I mean, this house is so huge!" Ayumi grinned apologetically. The ginger-haired "boy" nodded back.

Taking the lollipop out of his mouth for a moment, he brandished like a pointer. "Just around that corner, down the hall, and the left door." Ayumi nodded and trotted off, calling "thanks!" over her shoulder as she went.

As soon as she was out of sight, Shippo cackled mischievously. He'd just given her directions to Miroku's room… A familiar fist came down on his skull. "What are you laughing at, Brat?" Inuyasha dangled the disguised kitsune by one foot and Shippo glared back with outrage.

"Hey! What are you doing? Put me down!" The disguised hanyou snorted and ignored Shippo's indignant protests. "I didn't even do anything!" Green eyes glared into gold ones.

"What bullshit," he snorted. "Of course you did something." Amber eyes narrowed. "Or do you always laugh to yourself for no reason?" The ginger-haired boy smiled appealingly. "Nope. You definitely did something." Shippo's grin faded.

"Hey! No, I wasn't-" Anyumi's voice rang out from somewhere ahead. "No! Shippo said that this was the bathroom! I guess I just got a bit lost again. No, I'm just looking for the bathroom, thanks-" The schoolgirl rushed by, face red.

After a pause, Inuyasha looked at Shippo. "You know, Brat, Miroku doesn't need encouragement." Shippo grinned sheepishly. "And that girl's already too air headed. Stop messing with her mind, or it's going to explode and Kagome'll make me clean up the mess."

With one final bop on the head, Inuyasha dropped Shippo to the floor and sauntered off. After a moment of recovering, Shippo sat up and rubbed his head. "Jerk," he muttered fervently.

Inuyasha had been grumpy and irritable ever since he'd had to put the spell on. He'd gotten even moodier when the three schoolgirls arrived. According to Miroku –though Inuyasha fervently denied it- it was because Kagome was practically ignoring him. A wide grin suddenly spread across Shippo's face. Kagome… Hm. He could do things with that…

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"And this is your house!" Yuka handed Kagome another picture, then glanced distractedly at the door. "Say, where's Shippo? He should be back by now." The schoolgirl had become nearly inseparable from the disguised kitsune in the two days that she'd been at the house.

"Oh, he's probably wandering around somewhere," Kagome replied carelessly. While Shippo like to be pampered to no end, there was a limit to the amount of time he could spend in one place, doing one thing. She turned back to the photograph. Brown eyes widened in shock. "Wow! It's… almost done." For some reason, she was feeling slightly sick to her stomach.

"Yeah!" Eri grinned and peered over her shoulder. "Isn't it great! You'll be home in a few months!" Her smile dimmed slightly. "What's wrong, Kagome? Aren't you happy? You'll be back in Tokyo soon!"

Yuka turned to the other girl. "Oh, she's probably just sad because it's so long to wait. Right, Kagome?" The black-haired girl nodded dumbly and let the photograph fall to the floor through numb fingers. "Kagome?"

"Yeah?" She looked up at Yuka. It was almost done…"What is it?" Yuka shook her head and picked up the photograph from the floor.

"Never mind." She turned away, fingering the photograph before putting it down again. "Hey, where' Ayumi? Didn't she go to the bathroom?" Kagome nodded. "Huh. I'd think that she'd be back by now." She shrugged.

Kagome nodded absently, not noticing the strange look that Yuka and Eri exchanged. She picked up the photograph again. It was almost done. She was startled out of her reverie as a furious Inuyasha stomped by, chasing Shippo. Brown eyes widened in shock. He had a tail… She glanced hurriedly at the other two. They hadn't noticed. "What is wrong with him?" Yuka asked crossly. "Poor Shippo." A frown creased her brow. "I'm gonna go get him." She stood up and Kagome scrambled to her feet after her.

"No! It's okay, I'll go. I'm used to Inuyasha's moods. And Shippo probably isn't so innocent." She rushed out of the room and closed the door after her. "Don't bother coming out! I'll take care of it!"

The other two exchanged another glance. "Kagome's sure acting weird… Huh." Eri shrugged. "She didn't even look that happy when she saw your picture…" Yuka nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I don't get it." She looked down at the photo in question. "Well, I guess it's hard. She lost a lot of stuff in that fire, didn't she?" She fingered the photo thoughtfully. "Not just stuff, either. There was that photo album. They couldn't save it." Her voice lowered in pitch. "They don't have any more pictures of her dad."

Eri sighed. "You're right. I'd forgotten about that." She frowned again and looked at the shut door. "But that doesn't explain why she's acting all weird now," the schoolgirl commented.

(•.•)

( • )--

"Hey, Inuyasha."

The white-haired hanyou-in-disguise turned in surprise. "Kagome? I thought that you were with your friends." Not that he minded that much. Kagome grinned at him, brown eyes shining.

"Well, I just realized that I hadn't talked to you in a while." She sighed and sat down next to him. "I missed it," she admitted and smiled at him. Shock registered in amber eyes.

"O-oh." He turned away and stared at the floor of the library, feeling awkward. A warm hand closed around his own and Inuyasha looked up in surprise. "Kagome?" She was smiling nervously, blushing.

"Something wrong?' She asked. Inuyasha paused, then shook his head as the black-haired girl scooted closer and sighed as she leaned against his shoulder. Unsure of what to do, Inuyasha stared hard at the floor. He'd never noticed all the interesting little lines before. They were certainly fascinating… Something fuzzy brushed his hand.

Inuyasha glanced back and noticed that something was sticking out from under Kagome's skirt. It looked suspiciously like a tail. A fox tail…

"OW!" "Kagome" disappeared with a puff of foxfire and Shippo raced away, closely pursued by a furious hanyou. "No! Please, don't kill me!" The kitsune skidded around a corner and sprinted down the hallway, Inuyasha just behind him.

"BRAT! YOU'RE DEAD!" And indeed, Inuyasha's amber eyes smoldered with the promise of bodily harm. He swung his fist blindly and barely missed the smaller demon.

"INUYASHA! IT WAS JUST A JOKE!" Shippo leaped over the living room couch and ducked underneath the table, the enraged half-demon following recklessly. "IT WAS ONLY A JOKE!"

Inuyasha grabbed the kitsune's tail and pulled him up, brilliant golden eyes glowing into emerald green. "Shippo," he growled almost calmly, "if you ever pull that again, you're very, very **dead**. Understand?"

"Um, Inuyasha?" Kagome's voice was slightly timid behind him. "Could you put Shippo down now?" The hanyou turned to her and paused.

After a moment's thought, he turned back to what he was doing. "Nope." Kagome glared at his back for a moment, then grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. "Hey! That wasn't a question. It was a request!"

Inuyasha glared right back. "Well, it didn't sound like one. And I don't care if it is anyway!" He turned back around. "Now, where was I, Shippo?" He glared at the kitsune again. With wide eyes, Shippo stared behind him, mouth agape. "Hello?" He shook the ginger-haired fox demon slightly. Dumbly, Shippo pointed behind him.

Inuyasha turned, curious, and flinched as Kagome glared at him angrily, hands on hips. "I said, put him down." Her voice was low and dangerous. Shippo watched the scene with wide eyes. Would Inuyasha choose to save himself, or stick stubbornly by his pride?

"And I said 'no'." Shippo rolled his eyes. The poor idiot. The hanyou blinked nervously at Kagome as she took a step forward, eyes narrowed.

"Don't make me sic Yuka on you," she threatened. "You know how much she loves Shippo." Inuyasha muttered something under his breath and dropped Shippo to the floor. The kitsune landed on his head with a thud and scrambled onto his feet.

Kagome sighed as the sulky demi-demon stalked out of the room. She turned to Shippo. "What did you do to him?" she asked curiously. Shippo grinned and shook his head.

"I don't think that he'd like it if I told you," he replied nonchalantly. Kagome frowned, then shrugged. She picked the little fox demon up and walked into the kitchen with him.

"Well, in any case, we need to put the spell back up." She pulled the little scrap of parchment out from behind his ear- she wasn't sure why he kept it there- and handed it to him. There was a flare of fire and the kanji on the spell flickered into life as they glowed faintly. Shippo stuck it back behind his ear and his tail disappeared in an instant. His feet shrank slightly and changed into human ones as his ears did the same thing. The fangs could be blamed on weird dentistry. Shippo like having fangs.

"Well." Kagome stood up and picked up the "boy" again. "Yuka and Eri probably think I'm nuts now." She sighed and explained to Shippo. "I ran out of the room and closed the door behind me, and told them not to come out." She looked at the kitsune with a frown. "Where's Ayumi?" She had a sneaking suspicion that her friend's disappearance had to do with him.

"That's a good question." Shippo shrugged carelessly. "The last time I saw her, she was going to the bathroom." Kagome sighed. Trust Ayumi to get lost in a house. If anyone would –and could- do it, it was her.

"Did you give her bad directions?" Shippo grinned sheepishly and Kagome shook her head. "I should no better than to have you give her directions," she remarked and walked back into the room.

"Oh! Shippo!" Yuka stood up and grabbed the little boy. "There you are!" She plopped back down on the floor with the smug ginger-haired boy in her lap, the lollipop's stick sticking out of his mouth at an extreme angle that the schoolgirl found adorable.

"Yeah." Big green eyes stared solemnly into brown. "Kagome rescued me from Inuyasha. He was trying to hurt me." Yuka frowned and Shippo allowed himself a small smile. He loved making Inuyasha look bad…

"I can't believe him!" Yuka looked at Kagome. "How can he hurt such an innocent little kid? Look at him!" She turned Shippo in Kagome's direction. The black-haired girl rolled her eyes. "He's going to be a child abuser when he gets older."

"No he won't," Kagome said back quickly. "He just gets worked up sometimes, especially around Shippo. That's all." Yuka looked at her with raised eyebrows, Shippo settled comfortably in her lap.

"But why? He's always beating him up and hitting him on the head for no reason!" She looked carefully at Kagome, who twisted uncomfortably in her seat. "Why are you defending him?"

Kagome shrugged. "Because no one else is, and he's not always doing it." She picked up the photograph again and turned it one way, then another way in her hand. Eri sighed and glanced between the two.

"Anyone besides me wanna go somewhere?" Yuka nodded fervently in agreement. Ayumi came into the room and sat down. "Ayumi, do you wanna go?" The black-haired schoolgirl paused, then nodded.

"Sounds good to me," she replied. "But how far away is it?" The other three looked at Kagome. She shrugged in response. It was a long way, but she wasn't sure exactly how far away it was.

"More than a few miles," she said slowly. "I think about ten. But maybe Miroku could drive us there." She stood up. "You know, the town's not that big," she commented. The other three stood up after her.

"Better than just sitting here, right? We haven't been out of the house for two days. Plus, I've never been out here before." Eri straightened her skirt and walked out of the door.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Tsubaki!" Kagura whacked her fan against the doorway. "Are you there?" She wasn't sure if she really wanted to venture into the dark shed to find out for herself. Scarlet eyes narrowed as she peered into the darkness. She sniffed, then placed a hand over her nose in distaste. "It reeks!" She sniffed again. "It stinks of death…" Kagura stepped away from the doorway quickly.

"Tsubaki!" she demanded again. "If you're there, come out! I have your payment!" She doubted that the black priestess was still alive. It was probably her own decaying corpse that was stinking up her shed. And it that was true, then she probably never managed to do anything with the sword.

"Pah. I wonder how the idiot woman got herself killed?" Kagura mused aloud. Deftly. She swung her fan in an arc and in an instant the covered windows were shattered, letting bright light filter through the holes.

Fragments of glass crunched beneath the wind witch's shoes as she made her way across the floor, holding her nose all the while. The stench was much worse in the shed itself, where the air was stagnant with the scent of decayed flesh. Scarlet eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in disgust.

She'd found the priestess's body. The flesh was withered, hanging slack on the skeletal figure, and the face was that of an ancient woman far older that was possible. In her grasp was the sword. Kagura frowned. It almost looked as if Tsubaki's hand had fused to the hilt. "Ah." With just one backward glance, the wind witched exited the shed and took a deep breath of fresh air.

She knew what happened now. The priestess was old, far older that would normally be possible. But Tsubaki maintained her eternal youth through a spell, a contract between herself and a demon. It was just the type of thing that the sword would absorb into itself. "That fool should've known better that to touch that thing," Kagura snapped. "She should've preformed the spell without touching it." Now she needed to find some other way to give the sword the few alterations. But perhaps…

The wind witch turned abruptly and tucked the white feather in her hand back into her hair. Perhaps Tsubaki had completed the spell before her death. Covering her nose again, the scarlet-eyed demon treaded gingerly over the shattered windows and over to the priestess's corpse. She pulled the scabbard off of the dead woman's desk, wrapped it in the cloth that Kajin-bo had provided, and carefully maneuvered the sword into it. Even with the scabbard and the cloth to serve as dampeners to the sword's influence, Kagura could feel the numbing, bone-achy power of the blade humming through her hands. She shuddered slightly and let a few inches of the weapon slide from the sheath. "Yes…"

There on the base of the blade, kanji were carefully inscribed; those of curses and other forms of Tsubaki's dark art. The next part was harder; finding a pure priestess to inscribe her own spells upon the other side of the blade. What kind of good priestess would ever handle such a weapon as the one in her hands?

And what's more, she didn't know any priestesses besides the one that now lay dead upon the floor, a shriveled husk. Memories from her childhood flickered from the depths of her mind; a kind smile, black hair, incense and a dark room. "Kaede." Without rethinking her decision, Kagura hurried out of the shed and rushed away, the channels of wind as her road and the large white feather her transport.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Wow…" Ayumi trailed off, either unable to say anything else, or else having more tact than the other two. Eri and Yuka stared blatantly around the little town, completely shock registering upon their faces.

"You mean… this is it?" Eri stared, eyes glancing one way, then the other as she scoped out the small shopping district. She took a deep breath. "So, what do you usually do here?" she asked Kagome.

"Well, my Mom gets food here, but other than that, we don't really come up here that much." The house itself was normally much more exciting. Ever since Kagura's last appearance, everyone had gotten a bit more fidgety, though. Especially Inuyasha.

"I can see why," Yuka commented dryly. "It's not half as big as the one near my house, is it?" She shrugged. "But there must be **something** to do here." She glanced at Kagome, who shrugged in return.

"Well, there's an ice cream place down there somewhere, and a bookstore somewhere. It sells magazines and stuff, too. But I don't know much else." Eri nudged Ayumi.

"Isn't the ice cream shop where Hojo took you?" she asked. The others looked to Kagome with interest. The black-haired girl nodded slowly. "He left though, didn't he? And you guys didn't ever do anything. Why is that?" The other three stared at her intently. "From what I've seen, you're not all that busy."

"Well," Kagome's mind raced furiously, "when my Mom was here, it was a lot more busy. Everything just started to wind down, actually." No, it was all just buried beneath the surface so that they wouldn't see.

"Hm." They nodded skeptically. Eri turned back to the shopping area. "Where should we go?" The others shrugged. None of them knew the area well enough –if at all, as was the case with Ayumi, Eri and Yuka- to really decide.

"Well, why don't we explore?" Yuka grabbed Ayumi's hand and pulled her away, Kagome and Eri following after. "There must be something here that's interesting."

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

"Okay, maybe I was wrong," Yuka conceded. "Nothing here is very interesting." She turned to Kagome. "How have you **not** died of boredom yet?" Kagome shrugged and idly picked up a magazine from the cluttered rack.

"Everything's pretty hectic at home…" She trailed off. Home. She used to call it "the house". She cleared her throat. "and it's normally a lot more… interesting. But yeah, the shopping district isn't that interesting." She flipped through the magazine and put it down again.

"Why don't we go get some ice cream?" Ayumi glanced out of the window at the shop across the street. Yuka put down her own magazine and dragged Eri away from another.

"Hey! I wasn't done yet!" the schoolgirl protested. "There were only a few more sentences to go. Just a few seconds, 'kay?" Yuka sighed as Eri grabbed the magazine and flipped through hastily in search of the page that she was reading. Her eyes rushed across the page, taking in final paragraph in a rush.

"Okay, now put it down." Yuka grabbed her arm in one hand and the magazine in the other and placing it on the rack. "Let's go." She dragged the other girl out of the building and across the street, Kagome and Ayumi laughing lightheartedly in the background. A great pressure seemed to lift from her shoulders as Kagome walked along with the others, joking and laughing with each other.

She hadn't realized how much pressure she was under before, the constant worrying over Kagura's sudden attacks and Inuyasha's spell. At that moment, she was just another laughing schoolgirl, not the bearer of an ancient and powerful spell.

"So how was your date with Hojo?" Ayumi turned with a grin to the other girl. "He took you to this ice cream place, didn't he?" She nudged Kagome as the walked down the sidewalk.

"Yeah, Kagome!" The other two turned to her as well. "You never mentioned it. When did he leave, anyway? A few days ago?" Kagome shrugged carelessly, and Eri's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I don't know when he left, but he did take me here." She indicated the shop and opened the door. Yuka paused at the doorway, surprise and puzzlement clearly written upon her face.

"What's with you?" She stepped through the doorway and looked skeptically at Kagome. "Aren't you interested at all? I mean, he was here for two weeks and you only went out on one date! I thought you liked Hojo!"

The man tending the shop looked at the four of them with interest as the conversation took on a note of accusation, then glanced down at the table and pretended to be busy. "I do!" Kagome spluttered. "He's really nice, polite, generous, smart and considerate!" She rattled off the list of attributes that she'd listed, subconsciously counting on her fingers as she did so.

"But you refused him twice, and went out with him once for only half an hour!" She paused and then looked at Kagome with a conspiratorial expression. "There's another guy, isn't there?"

The man at the counter dropped all pretenses of doing something else and stared openly, a small smile on his lips. Ah, teen drama. "Wh-what? What makes you think that?" Kagome demanded, hands on hips. Ayumi came up behind the irate, black-haired girl and nudged her.

"It's Miroku, isn't it?" Her glance was almost accusatory. "Just because he's older than you doesn't mean anything. I mean, it's not like he's thirty or anything!" She blushed slightly.

"Hey, you like Miroku, don't you?" Eri looked at the flushed schoolgirl. Ayumi looked away. "Figures." She shook her head ruefully. Eri turned back to Kagome. "And you! **Is** it Miroku?" She pointed an accusatory finger.

"Of course not!" Kagome snapped. "He's an insane lecherous pervert!" She glared at her friend. "Now will you stop? We're here for ice cream, and this is the stupidest conversation anyway!" She turned to the man at the counter, who pretended that he was fascinated by the smooth metal surface. "I'll have a vanilla, please. In a cup." She turned towards the other three. "What about you guys?" Kagome's tone just dared anyone to bring up the previous discussion.

"Uh, I'll have chocolate. In a cup, please?" Ayumi grinned at the shopkeeper apologetically. The man nodded and grabbed a paper cup and the metal scoop. Eri stepped up and stared at the different flavors.

"Hm." Her gaze wandered from the mango to the cookie dough. "I think I'll get… um… cookie dough." The scoop loomed close to the tub. "No! Mango!" The metal utensil stopped and moved towards the other tub. "Oh wait. Cookie dough. Yeah. In a cone, please." The man looked at her.

"Are you sure?" There was a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

Eri nodded, red with embarrassment. "Sorry about that." She sat down at the table with Kagome and Ayumi after handing the man some money. The shopkeeper handed her the cone and looked at Yuka.

The schoolgirl glanced at the selection. "Well, I think I'll try the… mocha. In a cup." Out came the silver scoop and Yuka paid for her ice cream. "Thanks." She received her change and joined the others at the table.

"…said that this was stupid." Kagome's voice held weary patience. "Look, Hojo's great, as a friend." Eri rolled her eyes at Yuka as she sat down. Kagome mulishly dug her spoon into her ice cream.

"And you say that there's no other guy?" Eri snickered and Kagome glared. "You were over the moon about Hojo! So, who's the other guy? He must be pretty great if he beats Hojo." Kagome shook her head.

"You're not still denying it, are you?" Yuka asked laughingly. "Come on! It's obvious that there's another guy." Kagome sighed and put the spoon in her mouth thoughtfully.

"Again, this is a stupid conversation, and it's over," she said flatly, looking from one to another. "So let's just enjoy our ice cream, okay?" She looked at Yuka, who had an overprotective mother, and thus a cell phone with great service. "Do you wanna call and go back after this?"

Yuka looked to the others. "Fine with me. Eri? Ayumi?" Both of them nodded in agreement. "Sure." The little bell on the door jingled as someone else came in. Kagome and Ayumi kept chatting idly while Eri and Yuka quietly tried to guess who was the lucky guy.

"Kagome!" The four looked up with surprise and Kagome blinked. "It's wonderful to see you again, and so soon." Kouga grinned winningly and sat down at the table with them. He sniffed. "And without the stench idiot puppy, too."

Kagome colored slightly as the others stared. "Guys, this is Kouga," she said weakly. "I got lost a while ago, and he's the one who got me back home. Kouga this is Ayumi, Yuka, and Eri." Yuka looked as if she found their meeting just too romantic to be a coincidence, and was smiling coyly at Kagome, her look clearly saying, "well, here's the other guy."

Ayumi looked at him curiously. "What puppy?" She turned to Kagome. "I didn't know you had a dog." Ayumi could be incredibly oblivious at times. Kagome flinched slightly, praying that Kouga wouldn't answer the question.

"Of course Kagome has a puppy!" Kouga snorted at his own joke. "He follows her around and whimpers, begging for food and all those puppy things. What a pathetic creature!"

"He does not!" Kagome protested. The three schoolgirls watched the exchange with interest. "He doesn't do any of those things." Kouga shrugged. "So will you please stop calling him puppy?"

"You have a puppy?" Ayumi asked again. "Where is he?" She leaned in closer to the table, interest gleaming in her eyes. "What kind of dog?" Kagome blinked. She just didn't get it, did she?

"A stupid one," Kouga grinned. Kagome sighed and dug the plastic spoon into her ice cream. Kouga and Inuyasha were two of a kind; stubborn, impulsive, thick skulled and violent. She finished her ice cream and got up to throw the cup away. The chair scraped over the floor and behind her, the three schoolgirls laughed at some joke of Kouga's. She sat down again and the black-haired demon in disguise grinned at her. "You doing anything later?" Ayumi, Yuka and Eri watched intently.

"Yeah, I am," Kagome admitted. "They're spending the night." She indicated the other three. "And I have to catch up in math." She looked to her friends. "I didn't know that you guys were on the fifteenth chapter already! I'm only on the twelfth!" Eyes narrowed.

"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you later, then." Kouga stood up and walked out. "Bye, Kags!" Kagome winced. The bell twinkled as the door shut and the wolf demon crossed the street and went to his car.

"Kags," Kagome muttered. "Ugh." The other three watched her with suspicion. Kagome looked up. "Hey Yuka, do you wanna call now?" The other girl continued to stare along with Ayumi and Eri.

"Who's the other guy!"

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Hello?" Miroku frowned. "Hello? Is anyone there?" There was a lot of interference in the background of whoever was talking. "Wait, Kagome? Is that you?"

"Miroku? Can you come pick us up now?" Distantly, he heard Ayumi make some comment about boy magnets, while Eri was commenting loudly on Kouga –how did she know Kouga?- and insanity. "You guys, shut up!" Kagome's voice was full of exasperation. "I can't here a thing!"

"Uh…" Miroku paused. "Sure. I'll go get Sango right now. Where are you?" He sure wasn't going to sit in the car for forty-five minutes with those four at this point.

"Ice cream!" Kagome screamed above her friend's. "Please hurry!" Miroku agreed and hung up. He paused, then jogged outside and called for Sango, who was finally getting a chance to practice with Kirara.

"And where are you going in such a hurry?" A white ear flicked in his direction and gold eyes turned towards his direction. Inuyasha had removed the hated spell, but it didn't seem to have had an effect on his mood. He was still as grumpy as ever.

"Sango can drive them back," Miroku replied distractedly, running a hand through his black hair. He slid open the door and slid on a pair of shoes belonging to Mr. Higurashi. Whatever.

"Is Kouga there?" Inuyasha's voice was slightly harsh. Miroku blinked and turned around. But of course, the hanyou's hearing was incredible and he could probably hear the phone.

"I don't know." Miroku watched Inuyasha carefully. There was mulish obstinacy in his amber eyes, and his forehead was creased in a frown. "You aren't thinking of going down there and-"

"Shut up." Inuyasha stood up. "I'm going, too." Miroku sighed and looked out to the garden. "I'll go get Sango." Inuyasha walked out of the open door, not bothering with shoes as the grass swished around his ankles.

"Inuyasha, the spell!" Miroku shook his head and trotted after the hanyou. He pulled a sutra out of his pocket and slapped it onto Inuyasha's back. Ears shrank and lost their fur as claws dulled into fingernails. Fangs disappeared, leaving a relatively human Inuyasha striding across the grass.

Miroku was now very glad that he wasn't the one going to pick the girls up. If Kouga was really there, then things were bound to get out of hand. Hopefully, the worst that would happen would be a small fistfight, and they wouldn't destroy any buildings.

(•.•)

--( • )--

Her hands were getting numb.

Kagura put the sword down gingerly on the end of her feather. Tsubaki's magic wasn't incredibly powerful, but with the swords as its template, it was amplified and had a strong effect upon all forms of life. Only a few minutes ago, she'd put the deadly weapon down on the grass. Picking it up a few moments later, she noticed that the grass had withered and died, the earth turned to powdery ash.

The weapon in her hands was a double-edged blade, however. She knew what the sword would do to its wielder. While it was designed to completely obliterate the target, the aftershock was pretty much guaranteed to destroy the wielder. The effects of just being around the sword were devastating. Already her hands trembled slightly and her breathing was ragged. The sword fed off youki and spells, like the ones that preserved Tsubaki's life. "The fool should've known better than to touch the hilt," Kagura muttered, glancing back at the bundle of cloth and string. Already the feather's vanes were warped and tainted slightly grey from its influence.

"Shit." This was going to effect her flight, and not in a good way. Already her flight pattern was becoming bumpy and uneven. The sword lurched to the side and Kagura lunged, grabbing it by the strings. She could feel her hands becoming cold, painfully numb from the weapons influence. She put the sword down on another patch of feather and hoped that it wouldn't wear out too soon. The last time she'd seen her old acquaintance, Kaede had been about nine or so. She was her younger cousin, actually. They didn't know each other that well, but then again there was a startling age difference between them. All she knew was that her cousin was training to be a priestess. Long ago, Kagura had snorted at the fact, but now it could come to be quite a useful thing, on her part.

Kaede was installed at an old Shinto temple somewhere in the area. Scarlet eyes scanned the area, but it was really her demon instincts that were looking out for purifying energy. "There." The feather swooped low on the hillside and Kagura dropped onto the hill softly. She was actually looking forward to scaring the shrine's inhabitants a bit, with her pointed ears and scarlet, pupiless eyes. The constant secrecy and subtlety employed my Naraku and enforced upon her was suffocating. She was a wind witch, a demon, and that's what she would look like. And if anyone tried to stop her for it, she could kill them easily.

"Welcome-" the priestess cut herself off abruptly and stared blatantly at Kagura's appearance, then at the sword in her hand. "Please excuse me," the young woman said, and turned. "Tadako! Please come, right away!" She glanced back at the wind witch.

Another one of the temple's initiates hurried out of its depths. "What is it now, Usagi?" Her voice was exasperated. She stopped abruptly and long brown hair swung into her face. "That sword…" Tadako looked ill.

"Get me Kaede," Kagura commanded, scarlet eyes narrowing, daring them to disobey. Both of them dashed off, tabis sliding on the polished wooden floor and traditional red hakama flapping. The sword was making her hands tremble weakly. She didn't want to be around the thing any longer than she had to be.

A few moments later –Kagura put the sword down to preserve her hands at expense of the shrine's floor- a wizened old woman in the same garments as the other two stepped warily out from the depths of the shrine and stared slack-jawed. "Cousin!" Her voice held incredulity.

"Hello, Kaede," Kagura drawled in response, snapping her fan open in the process. "It's been a while, hasn't?" She smirked. There were more than a few advantages to being a demon. Not only could she control the wind and fly, but her human cousin –ten years her younger- was an old woman, whereas she still thriving.

"You're a demon?" Warily, Kaede shooed the other two away. Kagura looked at her with raised eyebrows. "How?" Brown eyes just as sharp as ever narrowed fractionally. "What do you want?"

"Now, is that any way to greet family, cousin?" Kagura's smile was mocking. "A reunion after fifty years, when I am thought to be dead, and you can't give me a proper hello?" She glanced down at the sword. The wood beneath it was dry and grey, the varnish dull.

Kaede watched her without saying anything. A demon was a demon, and while she never really believed in them, now that one was standing in front of her –even if the demon was family- she couldn't throw out all the legends that warned of cruel and brutal beasts.

"But I didn't come here to make up for lost time." Kagura dropped the banter and looked pointedly at the sword on the ground. "I need to ask a favor." Kaede remained silent, waiting. "I need you to put a spell on this sword." She indicated the weapon.

"I'm a priestess," the old woman said with dignity. "I wouldn't touch that defiled thing if my life depended on it." Kagura sighed. She had a feeling that this would happen.

"Well, it's not just your life that's depending on it," the wind witch said flatly. "It's a lot of people's." The wood beneath the weapon was starting to crumble into dust, and Kagura kicked it to another spot on the floor. She looked up at her cousin. "Do you know what this weapon is supposed to do?"

"No, I can't say that I do," the old priestess replied warily. "But I can tell from here that that sword is a weapon forged with a malevolent intent." As if in testimony to Kaede's statement, the powdery ash from where the sword had sat began to crumble into dust, leaving a gaping hole in the floor.

"You're right there," Kagura commented. "This sword will cut an urn in half, one created by your distant ancestor, Kikyo. And when this urn is split and the spell released, an ancient demon will be free after five hundred years of waiting." She paused for effect. "And do you know that demon's name, Kaede?"

The old woman paused as she searched her memory. "I know of no such demon, or spell." She glanced at the sword as it continued to rot the wood beneath it. Kagura kicked it again to another location, wincing slightly at the jarring effect it had with her foot, even though it was encased in her shoe. "But if the spell was laid by Kikyo, then I imagine that a very powerful weapon would be needed to break it."

"So you've never heard of the name 'Naraku', am I correct?" Kaede looked surprised, and Kagura smiled smugly. Now she had her attention completely. Kaede would do whatever she asked of her now.

"I have heard that name, but the stories that accompany it say that Kikyo died killing him. He is no longer alive." But there was doubt in her voice, a small, slight waver that betrayed her thoughts.

"Are you sure?" Kagura confirmed. "I know for a fact that Naraku is still alive, trapped in the urn." She picked up the sword and her hands were assaulted immediately with that painful numbing sensation. "And the only way for him to get out is this sword." Kaede looked at the bundle. "All I'm asking you to do is to put a little spell on it, one that will make the sword backfire and purify the bastard instead of set him free." She approached Kaede. "I already have the marks of a black priestess, all I need are yours and Naraku is as good as dead."

Kaede shook her head. "As much as I would like to get rid of Naraku permanently, my powers aren't enough. It would take someone with powers rivaling Kikyo's to properly apply the spell and make it strong enough to completely purify Naraku."

Kagura bit back a curse. Damn, but she needed it now! There were only two weeks left… Kaede watched her cousin's expression fall. She was taking a gamble, but if she remembered correctly, her cousin was proud and honorable, a straightforward person who said what they meant. "I believe that I may know someone who can help you, however." Kagura looked up sharply. "He's a bit eccentric and has no spiritual power himself –though he thinks that he does- he can probably offer you a few addresses of those willing to help you. He is from a shrine himself and has probably kept in touch with these people."

Kaede walked into the depths of the shrine and came back with a ballpoint pen and a scrap of paper. "Here." She wrote something down quickly and handed her the paper. The wind witch scanned the piece of paper briefly, and scarlet eyes widened with surprise.

"Higurashi!" She looked up at her cousin. Kaede nodded. "Tokyo…" Kagura muttered to herself. "I should make it in time, if I hurry…" Without a backwards glance and just a murmur of "thanks", Kagura pulled out the second white feather from her hair –the first one was now useless- she took off, the small thing growing and a gust of wind nearly bowling the old priestess over.

"Good luck, cousin," Kaede murmured as the last whispers of wind died down in the temple, leaving the old woman alone with a flurry of rushed thoughts and imaginings.

AN: Okay, so it didn't pop up in this chapter. The sit: Inuyasha can't be sat unless:

Kagome is touching the prayer beads

Inuyasha is tangible

Sounds simple enough… Anyway, thanks for reading, and I'm very sorry about how long this chapter took me to write!


	19. Naraku's Location: Revealed!

AN: Whee! I got the first Inuyasha movie! (Kinda late, I know… but whatever. I got it! Blew all my synapses out watchin' it in English, then Japanese with subs. Yay!)

I noticed that the story isn't quite as fast-paced as I intended… so I'm thinking about picking up the speed. (Just so's ya know, and it I do. Actually, hanging pace at this point would be kinda weird.)

Okay! Response time:

**Angel 4 life**: Thank you! (And such high praise, at that… Wow!) Sorry, I don't mean to keep you waiting, and again, thanks!

**Tiamath**: Haha! You're completely right, though. Ayumi, Yuka and Eri are so obliviously stupid! I find it rather infuriating, myself. (The truth is **right** there, under their noses, and they're too thick skulled to notice regarding the real deal.)

**Animekitty07**: Thank you! (And congrats on the word change… hehe). I'm glad that the sit think works out. One note: Kagome doesn't know that yet because she hasn't tried to sit him again so far. That'll come up in the next chapter, perhaps this one. Not sure, as of now.

**Taberah Blanc**: Haha, but seriously; we all have our moments, ya know? Ooh, medication. Sounds serious. I agree with you completely: the floor's the same stuff as the chair – or at least similar- so it the thing can go through the chair, why not the floor? And …Wow. I don't think I could pick up a bed, myself…

**Auxana**: Hehe! Yeah, not having an actual deadline or anything is wonderful. Especially when I'm writing so much. Thank you! And I **do** write whenever I'm on the computer, and I'm on the computer pretty often, so I guess that's a good thing productive-wise (though not exercise-wise…).

**fluffyrachel**: But of **course** Shippo is evil! He's a cunning, devilish mastermind…. Looks are very deceiving in his case; a cute little fox-demon, right? WRONG! Actually, I don't really plan the story out at all, which is not very good. I know where the story is going and about how long it's going to be, but in between… there's a lot of grey area. (In fact, when I start a chapter I have no idea what to write…) Updates! Hm… Probably about as frequently –or infrequently, in some cases- as they've been so far. It depends on where I go, what I do, and if my parents will let me drag my computer along. (My computer is very compact and portable.)

**rin sama1989**: no prob, I like to answer questions, no matter **how** random they are. I've never seen any fics in which those two –Kagura and Kaede- are related, so that's where that came from… and Kagura's definitely going to be pissed when she finds out that she went all the way to Tokyo for no reason. Hehe. Sorry about the Tsubaki thing! I guess she didn't really need to die, but it was kinda helpful. I didn't want to have her attack the last chapter because Kagome's friends would cause problems in that regard. I didn't really consider a Kouga/Kagura pairing… At this point, I think that there's too much enmity between them. As of now, it's possible that Kagome's buddies will find the Inu/Kag thing going on there, but as of now, I'm not completely sure… And if they do find out, Eri doesn't like Inuyasha because she loves Shippo and he hits Shippo and stuff. She wouldn't try to hook 'em up. Yuka might and the same goes for Ayumi, but I'm not completely sure right now.

**PippetJimmy**: In regards to the review thing: reviews are greatly appreciated and I love them very much, but don't feel bad! I hope that you don't feel like it's an obligation or chore; that would make me feel like a demanding tyrannical sort, which I try not to be. And of course, life before fanfiction! (Unless of course, one's life **is** fanfiction… whistles casually; of course that's not **me**!) And thank you!

x

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. No, I lied. I **do** own Inuyasha- in the form of manga and a DVD! But I can't take credit for coming up with the story's plot and the concepts therein. So I don't **own** it, own it, I just… own it. Some of it.

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Haunted

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Chapter Nineteen:

x

"Get well soon, okay?" Mrs. Higurashi stood up and patted her friend on the arm. "I'll be back tomorrow." She smiled and assembled her things. In the hospital bed, the brown-haired woman rolled her eyes.

"Look, Umeko, I know that you've got better things to do than sit around in a hospital for hours each day and watch me veg. Go home!" Yuri grinned and waved. Mrs. Higurashi shook her head.

"I'm not going anywhere," she promised. "This is more important than sitting at home and gardening." Her smile widened. "Plus, when was the last time I was in the area? I've got some tourist sites to visit!" Mrs. Higurashi waved as she left, closing the door gently behind her.

Yuri sighed. "Umeko, you're crazy," she commented to the empty room. "It's already been a week!" She'd need to go home sometime, even if her daughter and the others were perfectly capable of staying home by themselves.

A brown-haired head stuck itself through the door. "Mom?" Yuri's son Takai stepped into the room and settled himself in the chair just vacated by Mrs. Higurashi. "What's up?" He leaned over in the chair and rested his chin on his hands.

"Oh, everything!" The invalided woman ruffled her son's hair affectionately. "Guess who stopped by? A psychiatrist!" The poor man had gotten the wrong room and was very lost. She winked at Takai. "Did you tell them that I was crazy again?"

"Yup!" The brown-haired boy grinned back. "Oh, guess what? I found a dead mouse in the backyard! It was disgusting!" Yuri winced. "I think we have raccoons in the yard again. Dad says we should put the repellent out again, but it scares Masi away too." The invalided woman smiled slightly. Masi was a large fat stray that Takai had taken a liking to.

"Well, that's too bad. I guess Masi will just have to go around the front to get his food, won't he?" Takai nodded. "Where's your sister?" Normally, Tori arrived before Takai. Her school was closer.

"She had a makeup exam." The brown-haired boy leaned closer. "She failed her history exam!" Yuri shook her head. Takai and Tori had a very competitive relationship, both of them constantly trying to outdo the other.

"I see. Oh! I have to call-" Yuri glanced at the table. "Takai, could you hand me the phone?" The young boy handed it to her and picked up the Gameboy he left in the hospital for his visits. The phone beeped as Yuri's fingers pressed buttons, and she put the phone to her ear.

"Hello? No, it's Yuri." She paused. "Yes, that Yuri." She nodded and sighed. "Can I talk to Haru, please? Thank you." She smiled as Takai concentrated on his game, a frown creasing his forehead. "Hi, Haru! No, I'm good! I was just calling to say thank you for flowers, I really appreciate it…"

Neither of them noticed as a large white feather swooped by the window, a scarlet-eyed woman sitting upon it and a strange bulky package covered in sutras held in her arms.

Kagura smiled grimly. "Almost to Tokyo…" And she finally found a solution to the sword's destructive influence; she'd covered it in sutras of containment and sealing. She glanced back at the scrap of paper in her hand with a frown.

The wind swirled around her, cool and sharp despite the day's heat. She was making good time. It had taken her less than two hours to get to where she was now, and it would probably only take her another half. She looked with distain at the snaking line of traffic far beneath her. Unlike the people in their cars. She didn't have to worry about traffic. And from this height, her feather looked like a little speck of cloud. No one would notice if she flew into the city. All she had to do was land on the top of a skyscraper and go down. "Sunset Shrine," she murmured. The wind witch tucked the scrap of paper into her pocket.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

He'd only been in the car five minutes, but it felt like an eternity already. After the initial novelty of riding in the strange vehicle wore out, Inuyasha began tapping his foot evenly against the floor of the car as the telephone wires rushed past the window. Sango heaved a frustrated sigh. "Will you **stop** that tapping? Please?"

The hanyou shot her a mutinous glance and stilled his foot. "How long does it take to get to Maebashi?" he complained. "By now, Kouga will have… have…" What would Kouga do? "Driven them all away with his stench," he finished lamely.

Sango rolled her eyes and glanced in the mirror. "Why do you hate Kouga so much? It's not like he'll steal Kagome from you." Inuyasha whipped around and confronted the small kitsune in the back seat.

"**You're** here, Brat?" Amber eyes widened in surprise. Shippo nodded smugly. A low growl emitted from the hanyou's throat. "And what's **that** supposed to mean?" he demanded hotly.

Sango snorted and kept her eyes on the road ahead. "You can't be serious," she muttered under her breath. Inuyasha slumped back in his chair, his chin jutting out stubbornly.

"Just forget I said anything," he grumbled. "It's not like you ever listen, anyway." Sango gritted her teeth. Sometimes Inuyasha acted with the maturity of a child half Shippo's age. Now was one of these times.

"Just forty-five more minutes," she muttered under her breath, brown eyes focused on the road. "No wonder Miroku asked me to drive." She had a few things to say to him when they got back…

(\ /)

(•.•)

( )

"Don't play stupid, Kagome!" Eri glared at her friend, frustration sparkling in her brown eyes. The shopkeeper glanced at the schoolgirl with a small amusement twinkling in his eyes. "Who's the other guy?"

Yuka interjected. "Is it someone who you've met here?" The three of them watched Kagome carefully. The black-haired girl sighed and toyed with the plastic spoon on the table.

"Can we talk about something else, please?" She looked from one to the other. All three of them stared back unrelentingly. "Look, I just have other priorities." It wasn't a lie, either; in their spare time, Miroku, Sango and Inuyasha –until he got frustrated- were looking through the old scrolls left in the house, searching for Naraku's location and more information on his background. She would be doing the same as soon as her friends left.

"…Kagome," Eri said warningly. "Stop trying to avoid the subject! And just tell us the truth!" The man behind the counter looked up in surprise, the schoolgirl's piercing tone jolting him from his business.

"I **am**!" The black-haired girl protested. "I have very, very important things to worry about!" Though honestly, she hadn't done much worrying at all. She couldn't begin to truly comprehend what Naraku was, no matter what the others said of him and what she read from the scrolls at night while her friends were sleeping in their respective rooms. It all just seemed so distant and unreal. In today's day and age, it was hard to believe that just one demon could pose such a great threat as Inuyasha warned.

"What?" Ayumi asked curiously. "You're not **that** behind in schoolwork, are you?" Kagome shook her head. "Well, then what is it?" The others leaned in closer, curiosity burning in their separate gazes, replacing the anger that had been there before.

"I…" She desperately wanted to tell them. Eri, Yuka and Ayumi were her close friends, three of the few people that she could tell everything to. But not this, no matter how much she wanted to just talk. They wouldn't understand, would they? Kagome took a deep breath. "I-"

"Kagome!" Sango slammed open the door to the ice cream shop, fury burning in her eyes. The small bell over the door jangled clamorously. "Let's go!" She stomped forward.

"Sango?" Kagome queried. "What's wrong?" There was a crash from somewhere outside. She got to her feet quickly and peered over the exterminator's shoulder. "What on Earth was that-" her brows snapped together with an almost audible click. "Inuyasha…! It's **always** him!"

The other three watched with awe as well. "You mean he doesn't this a lot?" Eri asked blandly. "Fighting with Kouga?" She blinked. "Whoa! Do they take Karate or something?" Ayumi almost had her face pressed against the glass of the window. The shopkeeper looked up from the counter that he was cleaning with interest.

"I suggest that you go do something," Sango said crisply. "No matter how many times I tell them to stop, they just don't **listen**." She ground her teeth with frustration. "They're like infants."

Kagome was already out of the door and hurrying across the street, screaming at the two of them. Sango shook her head again. "Idiots." The three schoolgirls looked at her with surprise, then back to the fight.

"Wow," Yuka said flatly. "I've never seen anyone move that fast." Sango blinked and laughed nervously.

"Well, they've taken… some special training," she said lamely. "Been practicing for years, I think." The others nodded and accepted her excuse without question. Sango shook her head. How gullible could you get?

"Stop it!" Kagome stomped up to the two of them, pushing through the small crowd that had developed around the two of them. "Inuyasha!" she tried desperately, peering over a spectator's shoulder.

"I'm busy!" the hanyou snarled in reply. "Talk to me later! Bastard!" He punched Kouga in the stomach, and the disguised wolf-demon snarled in return, fist raised. The two of them leaped over the back of a truck and rushed down the street.

Kagome chased after them, fury flashing in her brown eyes. "Inuyasha!" What was it that she'd said before? "Sit!" Nothing happened, and she frowned. What did she do, exactly? What had happened? She jumped over a fire hydrant and skirted around a street vendor selling hats. The beads flashed and Inuyasha did a face-plant into the ground when she grabbed the prayer beads and told him to sit. "That's it!" She looked up as Kouga leaped high into the air, over Inuyasha's head. Moment's later, the hanyou was up in the air with him, both of them snarling insults.

The black-haired girl stopped abruptly. How on **earth** was she going to get a hold of those beads? "Whoa!" Kouga landed heavily in a crouching position a few scant inches away from her.

"Hah! Wimp!" the black-haired demon taunted. "Is that the **best** you can do? No wonder you died!" He leaped away as Inuyasha landed, fist extended and the malicious intent burning in his gold eyes.

Yes! Kagome ran forward and grabbed the prayer beads, nearly choking the disguised half-demon in the process. "Kagome! What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, eyes still on Kouga. "Let go!"

"Sit!" Kagome demanded. The beads were wrenched from her grasp as Inuyasha went plummeting to the ground, an outraged exclamation causing passerby to cover their children's ears.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said slowly, voice filled with barely contained rage. He sat up and glared at her with amber eyes smoldered with accusation. "What the hell was that for?" he burst out, poking a finger in her face.

The large crowd fell dead silent, all of the people staring with shock or amazement registering upon their faces. A little boy dropped his lollipop onto the ground and it hit the concrete, shattering into little pieces. Someone coughed, and the three of them turned, Kagome laughing nervously and babbling nonsensical excuses, Inuyasha still huffing angrily, and Kouga looking nonchalant as he meandered towards his car, long black ponytail swinging casually.

"-a play! We're rehearsing! It's judo, too! A judo-play, with losta special effects! That's all it was, and you just can't see all the string attached. I mean, there aren't any strings, because he's acting. And that's all. It's all an act!" Kagome exclaimed triumphantly. "So you can all go home and take nice long showers or watch TV and forget that you were ever here and that this happened! Not that it's really that important," the black-haired girl broke into a series of nervous giggles. "I mean, it's just a play. But it's private and none of you can come to see it. Okay, bye!" Her face red and heart fluttering in her chest, Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's hand and dragged him away, leaving the stunned crowd staring dumbly after them.

"**You're** the one who's 'special', not the effects," the hanyou grumbled under his breath. "Do you honestly think that they bought a single word that you said? What a load of crap!" He snorted derisively, oblivious to the way that Kagome's eyes narrowed as her chin jutted stubbornly.

She whirled around and grabbed at the prayer beads. With reflexes twice as fast as hers, if not faster, he intercepted her hand. "Oh, no! You're not doing **that** again!" Amber eyes glared into brown in a fierce battle of wills.

"Well will you quit acting like such a jerk? I was just trying to calm things down and neither of you were listening! People could've been hurt and you were drawing suspicion! Don't you have any self control?"

"Oh, me!" Inuyasha retorted. He still hadn't let go of her hand. "What about **you**? What kind of sadistic sicko are you? Squashing people into the ground like that! And why me?" His other hand shot out and poked a finger in her face. "Why not Kouga?"

Kagome grabbed the offending hand and shot back a scathing reply. "If you're hearing's so **superior** to mine, then how come you didn't hear me screaming at you to STOP?" Brown and amber eyes clashed. "I was yelling as loudly as I could! Don't tell me that you didn't here!"

"I was a bit preoccupied at the moment, in case ya didn't notice!" Inuyasha's chin jutted stubbornly. "I don't have time to listen to your whining, so shut up!" There was a pause, and Kagome turned away furiously, tugging her hands away from his as she stomped down the street, eyes stinging.

"You… **jerk**!" She didn't even turn to shout the insult, and just continued down the street, her brown shoes scuffing the pavement as she furiously blinked back hot tears. She **didn't** want to cry, and especially not over **him**! Kagome looked up, searching for the car. Through the window of the ice cream parlor, her friends watched her with wide eyes as Sango sighed heavily, looking peeved.

(\ /)

(•.•)

( )

"Are they done yet?" she wondered aloud, earning a curious look from the other three. Kagome's distant figure grabbed Inuyasha's other hand as it came into range of her face. A few moments later, she was stalking off, clearly furious. Sango found herself wondering what ridiculously rash and idiotic comment Inuyasha had made this time. She shook her head one more time, dreading the hour-long car ride –if she went over the speed limit, half an hour, she'd found- and walked through the ice cream parlor's door, the bell declaring her exit.

Ayumi stared out the window, her breath frosting the glass. Slowly, she turned away to stare at the other two. "Hey, weren't they just…?" She trailed off, unsure, The other two turned, confused at the cryptic statement.

Suddenly, Eri's eyes lit. "Oh… hey!" she exclaimed crossly. "How could **he** be the other guy?" She glared out the window at the irate hanyou. "He's loud, selfish, rude, abusive-" Shippo's innocent green eyes came to mind, "-and above all, a completely unsuitable boyfriend, for anybody!"

Ayumi shrugged noncommittally. Disagreeing with the other girl was probably a dangerous thing to do at the moment. "Oh, I dunno," she said with a shrug. "He's not **all** bad." Eri looked at her with surprise and Ayumi hurried on. "I mean, he's not hideous, but his eyes and hair are a weird color. I wonder, is he albino or something? They usually have the yellow eyes, right?"

Yuka stared back out the window at the disguised hanyou in question. "He's such a child though. In all time we've spent here, have you seen him do anything good? All he does is sit in that room with the other two and chase Shippo around, yelling and stuff."

Eri nodded. "He's always after Shippo!" She watched as the white-haired figure trudged up the street, head lowered as he stared at the sidewalk, a bad-tempered frown on his face. "What's his **problem**?"

Ayumi chose not to try and answer the question. "But I **do** think that she likes him," she admitted. "They were holding hands." A very couple-ish thing to do, in her opinion.

Yuka snorted. "And then she shoved him away and ran down the street." She glanced at Ayumi. "There was nothing romantic there. They were just yelling at eachother. More like enemies than anything else." She shrugged and looked for the car. "We **are** going home now, right?"

The other two nodded quickly and hurried down the street after Yuka. The shopkeeper looked up from the already-clean counter that he was wiping yet again, and smiled with a rueful shake of his head. Kids. Their lives were one drama after another.

(•.•)

( • )--

"There's not enough room in the car," Sango commented. She glanced at Shippo accusingly. "If you hadn't decided to sneak a ride…" She trailed off, and the kitsune grinned and waved.

"Shippo can sit on my lap." Eri smiled winningly at the ginger-haired boy. "Shippo didn't mean to cause trouble, did you?" she cooed. The little boy shook his head fervently, the epitome of innocence as he sucked on a lollipop that the schoolgirl had given him.

"Well, let's go." Kagom'e's voice was clipped and angry. Sango looked at her in surprise. "But, what about Inuyasha? He's not here yet-" Kagome slammed the car door and sniffed.

"Who cares about **him**?" Eri nudged Ayumi, a look of "see? I told you!" in her eyes. "He shouldn't have home anyway. There's not enough space in the car." Sango looked at her for a moment, then shrugged. Inuyasha could get himself home faster than the car, if it came down to it. He wouldn't get lost; his nose would guide him.

"…Okay. If you say so, Kagome." She stared the engine and pulled out of the parking space. With one backwards glance, she drove down the road and turned onto the freeway. "You know, he's **not** going to be happy when he gets back," Sango commented.

"As if I care!" Kagome sounded remarkable similar to a certain hanyou. "He's a rude, insolent, callous **jerk** and he deserves it!" Sango sighed and glanced in the rearview mirror to check for Inuyasha. No one was coming. She sighed in relief.

"What did he say **this** time?" Sango asked wearily. In the back seat, the three school girls and Shippo were unusually quiet as they listened intently. Kagome ground her teeth as she answered.

"He said that I was wasting his time by talking to him," she said furiously. "Can you believe him? He spent the last five hundred years doing **nothing**, and now he tells me that talking to me is wasting his time!" She laughed bitterly. "Does that make any sense to you?"

Sango shrugged. "Don't get me involved in this war…" she muttered. "I don't have anything to say." She was going to **kill** Miroku when she got back for sticking her in this car…

"Oh, and you're so **mild-tempered** in comparison, right Kagome?" Inuyasha's sarcastic voice came through the window. In the back seat, everyone jumped in surprised and looked out the windows.

"Where **is** he?" Eri asked. "I don't see any cars or anything!" She glanced at the front of the car. "Is there some sort of speaker phone in here?" Sango shook her head.

"He's on the roof." She pointed up to the ceiling, and they looked up in surprise. Kagome ground her teeth furiously, fists clenched tight in her lap.

"What?" Eri exclaimed. "But isn't that illegal?" She winced and looked at the other two. "If we get pulled over, it's not my fault," she told them. Ayumi and Yuka nodded in agreement.

"What, can't you ride in a car like a normal person?" Kagome asked sourly. Sango sighed. This was going to be a very, very long car ride… She sped up a bit, knocking Inuyasha back in the process.

"Whoa! Sango, watch it!" To Kagome, he said, "What makes you think that I want to be in the same car as **you**? Besides-" Kagome cut off his reply by rolling up the window.

"I can't **stand** him!" she huffed. No one said anything in reply. Sango drove in silence, the only sound being that of the car's engine. "I mean," Kagome burst out, "he's such a pig, and he doesn't care about anyone else's feelings! He's obnoxious, narrow-minded, **rude**, insensitive, loud, stupid-" she took a deep breath before continuing. "And he has the biggest ego in the world!"

"Yeah!" Eri agreed whole-heartedly from the back seat. "And he's always hurting other people." The other two rolled her eyes. Eri didn't even **know** Inuyasha, really. He was holed up in that room with Sango and Miroku most of the time. Ayumi glanced at their driver with a wry smile. Sango did **not** look very happy. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel tightly.

"It's mutual, Kagome!" Inuyasha howled from the roof. His voice was muffled, but clearly angry. "**You're** the one who keeps encouraging that mangy wolf, not me! And then there's **Hojo**," he sneered. "And you don't do anything about it!"

Furiously, Kagome reached over with her foot and stepped on the brake pedal with a screech. Everyone was flung forward with exclamations and screams. "Kagome! What are you **doing**?" Sango stared at the younger girl with exasperation.

Without replying, Kagome opened the door and got out. The only sign of tension was her clenched fists and her narrowed eyes as she approached a furious Inuyasha, who'd fallen off the car's roof in the abrupt stop. He stood up and dusted off his haori, glaring at her bitterly.

"Inuyasha," Kagome's voice was almost sweet as she came closer, until she was standing just a few inches away. She reached up and amber eyes widened in surprise, anger melting away. Her hand went to his neck. "Sit." Her hand glowed –or was it the prayer beads?- and Inuyasha went crashing to the ground.

"You-!" Kagome turned and went back into the car. She slammed the door and calmly turned to Sango as Inuyasha shouted outraged insults in the background.

"Let's go," she told Sango. With an apologetic glance at the hanyou on the ground, the exterminator decided to do as Kagome said. If she waited, the ride back would only be agony for both of them. At this point, Inuyasha would probably rather walk, anyway.

Inuyasha glared at the car as it raced away down the highway without a backward glance. He sat up and dusted the gravel off of the front of his haori. For a moment, he just stood there, staring after the car as it became a speck in the distance. A few mintues it disappeared over a hill in the distance as the sun sank lower on the horizon.

His anger dissipated, leaving only a forlorn hurt and bitterness in its wake. "Kagome, that's going to cost you," he promised the darkening sky and the sinking orange disk that lit the sky a rainbow of hues. But he was blind to the beauty of the sunset; in his mind's eye, he could still see Kagome as she stepped closer, her eyes deceptively gentle as she reached up and grabbed the necklace. The feeling of betrayal left a sour note in his mouth as he finally turned and walked away, away from the road and towards the forest. It might've been five hundred years since he'd been out here, but he still recognized the terrain. For all the time that had passed, it hadn't really changed that much. Somehow, that comforted him. While he'd been slightly conscious of all the changes that were going on while he was locked away, he hadn't realized he was so out of touch with everything until Kagome and the others showed up. It wasn't just technology that had changed; it was people's minds. Five hundred years ago, he would've been killed on sight. Today, demons were the minority, hidden among humans and secretly living their lives.

He stepped over a fallen tree branch and stepped onto the damp grass. Shadows lengthened, inch by inch, as he wandered deeper into the forest. Small animals rustled in the long grass and leaves rustled with the wind as he ventured on, his exceptional eyesight guiding him even when the sun faded completely.

He wasn't going back to Kagome for a while. Let her come to him, begging for him to come back. He wasn't going back until she apologized, even it took

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Inuyasha or not, that was a pretty harsh thing to do, Kagome," Eri admitted grudgingly. While she there wasn't any lost love between her and the disguised hanyou –she despised him, he couldn't care less- she still couldn't help but feel sympathy towards him. He'd have to walk all the way back, something which took an hour by car would take a person on foot about a day.

"And how'd you do that trick with his necklace?" Ayumi asked, eyes burning with curiosity. "I've never seen anything like that before." Kagome blushed and thought quickly.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently, fumbling with her food for a moment. "I just grabbed 'em and pulled on 'em really hard so that he fell over." She reached for the stir-fry that Miroku had concocted –it was pretty good, albeit strange- and dumped some more on her plate.

"Really?" Yuka asked dubiously. "But it didn't look like it at all. It looked like the beads pulled him down to the ground." She paused, thinking back. "He made a crater, almost."

Kagome shrugged. "No, I just threw it on the ground." She was feeling rather guilty now… it had been three hours since the incident, and he should've been back by now, spitting mad and ready to gut her. She almost thought that she deserved it, if he did.

"Kagome?" She looked up. Ayumi fiddled with the chopsticks on her plate, staring at the spiral pattern on the china. "Do you… do you like him?" She looked up, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

"Hey Ayumi, why are **you** blushing?" Yuka asked curiously. "I thought that you liked Miroku." It was just them at the table; the other three were back in the library for some reason again.

Ayumi shrugged. "Because if I'm wrong, I'll have made a fool of myself." She looked back at Kagome, who was now staring thoughtfully at her plate as Ayumi had done just a few moments before. "Well?"

Kagome looked up with a sigh. "Look, he-"

"Kagome!" Shippo danced into the kitchen with wide green eyes bright. "We found it, we found it!" he sang. "We found it!" he laughed happily and dashed out of the room. "WE FOUND IT!"

Kagome smiled, her earlier confession forgotten. "You did?" She got up from the table and rushed out of the room without explanation to her friends.

Ayumi blinked and looked at the open door. "Huh?" she asked, confused. "Found what?" Eri shrugged as Yuka stood up, peeking through the doorway as Shippo's whoops of joy echoed down the hallway, mingling with Kagome's eager questions and chatter.

"When? How?" she laughed breathlessly. They burst into the library, stirring up the dust from the floor and filling the large room with echoing noise. She sat down next to Sango and looked over her shoulder as she poured over an old document.

"Just found it," Sango told her, a wide smile on her face. "Ah! …Huh?" She frowned. "Where's **that**?" She put down the scroll with disappointment.

Miroku took the scroll from her and looked over it. "It's by Mito, I believe." he said finally, "It was a Tokugawa Domain in Feudal Japan, not too far from here. That's where Naraku is." He paused. "Well, it's pretty far, but not as far as Kyoto, and in the opposite direction."

Sango nodded. "I'll go pack." She stood up and headed towards the door when Miroku's arm shot out and stopped her.

"We have to wait for Inuyasha, remember?" His purple eyes danced with mild amusement. "And Kagome's friends have to leave before we do." He sighed. "And we should get a bit more organized. We can't just go dashing off willy-nilly without telling anyone." He looked up at Sango. "Can you imagine Mrs. Higurashi's reaction if she were to come home to an empty house?"

Sango stopped and sat down again. "You're right," she admitted. "I guess I'm used to running off without a moment's notice, that's all." Sango looked at Kagome. "Did you just run off and leave your friends at the table?"

Kagome blanched. "Whoops! They're gonna think I'm nuts…" she rushed out of the room again and hurried back to the kitchen. "Hi, guys! Sorry, but Shippo and the others finally found some stuff that we'd packed up, but never found after we unloaded." She mentally congratulated herself for the quick and plausible lie.

"Kagome?" Eri asked in a squeaky voice and pointed out of the window. The other two stared, at a loss for words as Kagome peered out with them.

Brown eyes widened in shock. "What is-" she cut herself off and steeled herself with resolve. "Come on!" She urged them out of the room. "Hurry!" Kagome glanced over her shoulder again.

They stumbled out of the room, Kagome pushing them from behind. "Kagome? What's going on? What is that… thing? What-" A flurry of questions clamored to be answered.

Kagome merely shook her head. "Go right to your rooms. I'll be right there, okay? Now!" She shooed them off without waiting for a reply and raced to the library, where the others were learning more about Naraku. "Sango! Miroku!" she gasped, doubled over as she gasped for breath. It was not a good idea to run after eating so much food. She stood up as the others looked at her curiously. "Kagura, in the yard-"

Sango scrambled to her feet, murder in her eyes as Miroku put the scroll down carefully. "Has she done anything yet?" the monk asked as they rushed down the hall. Sango collected Hiraikotsu from it's resting place against the wall and tossed Miroku his staff.

"No, not yet," Kagome admitted. "It was Yuka and the others who saw her feather. I don't think they have any idea of what's going on. She was just landing," She paused at the door and cautiously slid it open. A cool breeze drifted through the open space as crickets chirped quietly.

Sango flicked on the backyard light, illuminating a Kagura as cool and collected as ever. "Well," the wind witch commented dryly. "You certainly took your time getting here." Scarlet eyes swept the group. "And where's the dog?"

"None of your business!" Sango snapped sharply. "If you've come here for a fight, you've got one standing in front of you." White knuckles gripped Hiraikotsu tightly and brown eyes flashed with the promise of injury.

"**I'm** not the one looking for a fight," Kagura said dryly, scarlet eyes mocking in the dark. She stepped into the small patch of illumination provided by the porch light and lowered her fan. "I'm here on **business**, with a Mr. Higurashi." She glanced at Kagome. "Imagine my surprise when I realized that you were related. I went all the way to Tokyo looking, and here he was, under my nose the whole time." She shrugged. "Is he here?"

"Not at the moment," Miroku replied warily, his arm out to keep Sango back. "What 'buisiness' do you have with him?" Purple eyes were wary as the regarded the elemental demon.

Kagura regarded him for a moment. "Well, you're a monk, so you might be able to help," she replied cryptically. "I'm assuming by now that you realize that Naraku's coming. I did some research; your dog friend knew Naraku." She paused. "Am I right?"

Miroku nodded brusquely, and she continued. "Well, I can kill him, if I get a powerful priest or priestess to lay a spell on the object he's using to unseal himself. It should purify him from existence."

Sango looked at her suspiciously. "And why should we trust **you**?" Her voice was harsh and her muscles tense. Standing here, before the murderer of her family without doing anything went against all the emotions bottled up in her chest; her eyes glittered.

"Fine then. Don't," Kagura replied nonchalantly. "Naraku will come back, and he'll kill you all." She pointed to Sango. "Especially you. Your family is partially responsible for his sealing in the first place. That's why he had your family killed."

"**You** killed my family!" Sango hissed. "You told me yourself! Don't pretend that you're so innocent!" Hiraikotsu was raised before she knew it. With shaking arms she lowered the formidable weapon.

"No," Kagura shrugged. "I made sure they were dead before we left. Naraku got his other underlings to do it. I just put the stupid green sign on the doors." She snorted and waved her fan idly. The stuffy air stirred slowly, like a great snake winding about its prey.

"Oh…" Hiraikotsu's end hit the ground with a dull thud. Sango sighed heavily as tension lifted and the knot in her stomach came undone. Naraku was her enemy, and he **would** die. "What do you want from us?"

Kagura watched them with a bored expression. "I want a strong priestess or priest to cast spells on the sword to kill Naraku." She glanced at Miroku. "You're a monk, correct? Why don't you do it?"

Miroku shook his head. "My powers will not be enough for someone like Naraku." He glanced at Kagome. "She could to it." Kagome blanched.

"Her?" Kagura asked incredulously. "Her aura is barely there; she's got nothing!" She waved her fan in dismissal. "Well, can you at least give me a contact?"

"Kagome can do it," Miroku stated firmly. "Or haven't you detected the… spell on her?" If it **was** even a spell… Kagome had done such strange things with the thing that he wasn't sure what it was any more.

"Spell?" Kagura peered at the schoolgirl with piercing scarlet eyes. "**That's** as spell? What on earth did you **do** to it?" She snorted. "What sort of half-baked idea was that?"

"It… went wrong," Kagome replied stubbornly, arms crossed over her chest. "But it works! And I haven't had to renew it in a few days," she added.

"She posses a unique way of doing things, and strong powers," Miroku told the wind witch. "She doesn't have any training, but I can walk her through the steps, if you hand over this sword."

Kagura stared at him piercingly for a moment, then nodded curtly as she stepped out of the light. "You'll have it tomorrow," she promised and disappeared with a heavy gust of wind.

"Very dramatic, isn't she?" Miroku commented after a moment. He turned to go back in the house. "You're friends will need an explanation-" he stopped dead in his tracks.

Standing in the doorway were Eri, Yuka and Ayumi, their expressions unreadable. Shippo stood in front of them. "I'm sorry, Kagome! I tried to stop them, but they wouldn't listen!"

Kagome took a deep breath and glanced at the other two, her mind a roaring blank. What could she say? "How long were you there?" she asked finally and stepped inside the house, Miroku and Sango following after her.

"The… the whole time," Yuka said softly. She looked at the ground. "What are you… doing?" she finished and looked up. "It's like some bad joke," she said dazedly. "Swords and magic, priestesses and spells, people that fly away on feathers…" She laughed feebly.

Sango and Miroku left the room after exchanging a brief glance. Kagome smiled reassuringly, though she herself had no idea what she was going to do or say. "It's a long story, but I'll tell you, okay?"

Sango and Miroku reappeared with some sutras. Silently, they approached the three schoolgirls from behind and slapped the parchment on their backs. They collapsed, like puppets whose strings had been cut.

Kagome looked at them questioningly. Miroku glanced up from the three girls. "Forgetting spells," he explained. "For the last fifteen minutes."

Kagome nodded and swallowed hard, relief sweeping over her as she sat heavily on the couch. "When will they wake up?" She glanced at Ayumi. She looked as if she was sleeping.

Miroku shrugged. "Soon, I should think." He paused and frowned. "Shouldn't Inuyasha be back by now?" He glanced conspicuously at Kagome, who flinched guiltily.

"Yeah," Sango agreed, frowning slightly. "He's half demon; he should be able to run forever." She glanced at Miroku. "Maybe he got lost?" It was highly doubtful, but it **was** a possibility.

Kagome looked guiltily at the ground, wishing that she could find him and apologize, not to mention that she was more than a bit worried about the hanyou. As stubborn as she might be, she knew when she was wrong, and she was **definitely** wrong.

Miroku noticed her expression and smiled slightly. "I'm sure he'll turn up, Kagome," he assured her. "He's probably moping and grumbling as he walks home." He smiled slightly at the picture.

Sango patted the younger girl on the shoulder. "He'll turn up, you'll see." She glanced down at the three schoolgirls again, then at Miroku with exasperation. "Don't you know when they'll wake up?"

Miroku shook his head. "There's no specific incrament of time mentioned in the spell…" He cleared his throat uncomfortably and the demon exterminator glanced at him sharply.

"In other words, they could sleep forever," Sango replied dryly and shook her head. "Well, we might as well put them in their rooms so when they wake up it'll all seem like a dream."

Kagome nodded, forgetting her guilt for a moment. "Good idea," she told Sango. She grabbed Eri underneath her arms and dragged her to the edge of the room, gasping with effort.

"Hey! Not you!" the demon exterminator berated Miroku. "All you want to do is touch them while they're sleeping!" She bent over to pick up Ayumi and found something rubbing up against her but. She whirled, face red. "What about our **agreement**?" she demanded. "You lost the bet!"

Miroku grinned at her. "It just ran out. Six weeks are **over**!" His grin widened and Sango backed away, a worried expression on her face.

"Hey!" she protested. "Back off!" She glanced behind him to Kagome as she struggled with moving Eri. "Kagome, I could use a little help!" It wasn't that Miroku was really doing anything; he was just standing there, grinning unnervingly at her.

He put his hands up in a placating gesture. "I'm not doing anything, Sango. You have nothing to fear from me." He walked nonchalantly out of the rooom.

"Of course not," Sango muttered sarcastically as she hauled Ayumi onto a transformed Shippo, who took her upstairs. "Nothing to worry about at all."

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Mm?"

Yuka blinked sand from her eyes and yawned heavily. She sat up and rubbed her head, sleepy eyes wandering about her room bemusedly as a weary brain revved up for the day. Strange images flashed through her mind but they disappeared before she knew what they meant, leaving behind a feeling of something important having been forgotten. She shrugged and got up. Dreams were often like that.

She wandered down the hallway in her pajamas and headed to the kitchen with another gigantic yawn. She rubbed her eyes and stumbled down the stairs, where Ayumi was dozing on he couch. Yuka smiled at her friend. Ayumi had a tendency to wake up and fall asleep again.

"Hi!" Kagome greeted her cheerfully from the kitchen, wide awake and already dressed. "Miroku's just making some… food!" she told her fried brightly.

Yuka mumbled a reply, still not truly awake. She slumped over in a chair and looked at the black-haired man through half-lidded eyes. Miroku turned with a sunny smile. "Hello!" he greeted pleasantly. "I hope that you've enjoyed your stay here," Miroku told her with a pleasant smile. "It was a pleasure to have you."

Yuka nodded in reply and yawned again. "It was great." She glanced at Kagome as she pulled out plates. "It's been really interesting. I didn't know that the house was this big." She waved vaguely, and Miroku nodded, his attention still directed at the pan on the stove.

"That's right!" Kagome acknowledged with a start. "You're going home today, aren't you?" She'd been worrying over Inuyasha, a foolish occupation. Knowing him, he was just fine, and had decided to hunt down Kouga and finish their fight.

Yuka nodded. "Yup." She got up and looked over Miroku's shoulder at the pan. Dubiously, she asked, "What **is** that, exactly?" She sniffed at the pan.

"I'm trying something new," the black-haired man replied, and adjusted the heat of the stove. The contents of the pan hissed.

Kagome snorted into her cereal. "You **always** try something new," she commented and wiped mild off of her chin with a paper napkin. Miroku shot her a wounded look.

Eri wandered into the kitchen with an exhaustive yawn. "Hi guys." She opened one bleary eye. "Where's Shippo? I wanna say goodbye to him before I go." She had to leave rather early with Yuka, and Ayumi was going later because she was supposed to visit an aunt.

"Hey Eri, when's your mom coming?" Yuka asked her friend as she watched Miroku clear out his pan into a large bowl and place the steaming pan in the sink.

"Uh…" Kagome supposed that if she listened closely enough, she might here rusty gears turning squeakily in motion. "I think… like, ten? Nine-thirty?" She shrugged and poked at Miroku's concoction. "What's that?"

"Food," Miroku replied vaguely and left the room. "Sango, Shippo! Inu- I mean, foods ready!" he called up the stairs as he dried his hands on a dishrag. He frowned. "Where on earth **is** Inuyasha?" he asked himself. "The idiot probably got lost."

"Who's an idiot?" Ayumi asked curiously, having caught only the end of his comment, She blushed slightly when Miroku turned towards her.

"Inuyasha," he sighed and glanced at the kitchen. "She won't admit it," he confided to Kagome's friend, "but I think Kagome's more than a little worried about him."

The schoolgirl shrugged. "But she **did** leave him there in the dust," she pointed out. "It's her own fault that he's not here." She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"But it shouldn't take him this long to get back," the black-haired man countered. "He could've been back last night if he wanted to, I think." He shook his head. "I imagine that he's being stubborn."

Ayumi looked at him curiously. "What's that mean?" She continued on. "Wouldn't it take forever to walk that far?" She wasn't expecting his response; Miroku shrugged evasively and hurried back into the kitchen, leaving a very confused schoolgirl behind him. "What did I say?" she wondered.

(•.•)

( • )--

"Bye!" Kagome waved cheerfully as Eri and Yuka left in Yuka's mother's car. The van pulled away with the crunch, the two inhabitants waving madly, big grins on their faces.

"SEE YOU!" Ayumi shouted one last time and smiled before heading back inside. She turned to Kagome. "So, whaddaya wanna do?" She frowned; Kagome was looking distractedly into the distance, biting her lip as she did so. "Kagome?" She waved a hand in front of her friend's face.

"Huh?" Kagome was startled out of her reverie. "Oh! Sorry, what were you saying?" she asked apologetically.

"Where do you suppose he is?" Ayumi pondered. She glanced slyly at Kagome. "You must be worried."

Kagome nodded in the positive. "Of course I am!" she confirmed. "He's out there somewhere, probably lost or something, and it's all my fault!" She bit her lip again and turned to her friend. "I feel bad about it now, really."

Ayumi nodded sympathetically and stared at the horizon with her friend. "Maybe you should call the police," she suggested. Her idea was met with refusal so strong it was almost violent.

"No!" Kagome shook her head. "No… that wouldn't help. He's just upset because of what I did." She colored slightly. "He **did** deserve it, though!" But there was a note of doubt in her voice even as she made the statement; she'd gone over the top. Her anger had boiled over and he'd pushed her beyond the limit, but that didn't mean that he deserved what he got. She sighed. "Well, we might as well go back inside." She glanced at Ayumi, who nodded in agreement.

Neither of them noticed the white feather as it careened overhead and landed sloppily in the backyard.

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

And as usual; do you have questions, comments, complaints? If you fit into the criteria, I reccomend that you hit the button at the bottom of the screen, or wherever it is.

And if you don't fit the criteria, you can just go ahead and hit the button anyway, if you want to.


	20. A Marionette

AN: More responses (Thanks!) And WOW! I can't believe I'm on Chapter Twenty already… (If things had gone according to my original plan, I would've been done by now… this would've been the second-to-last chapter.) Sorry if I've missed anyone on the responses. My computers doing mysterious things, and I keep missing reviews. I need to work out a system… And if I've missed anyone before, I'm very sorry! It's not intentional, I swear, and I apologize:

**reader1**: Thanks! I'm glad you like it!

**AkeryouSesshoumarusMate**: Ayumi will be home in the beginning of this chapter. As far as Inuyasha's concerned… well, you'll see. Sesshoumaru might turn up, but I can't be completely sure. He's like that…

**Earthclaw**: Thanks! Sesshomaru… hm. He might pop up somewhere, he might not. He's enigmatic like that. (Or, as you said, he might've died like that…) If Sesshomaru lived in the future, I've always seen him as more of an elite businessman. But who knows? Five hundred years would certainly change him a lot… he could be anything!

**Animekitty07**: Thanks! I agree; biscuits are yummy, and cats are cool. (Don't have one myself; I'm allergic, but I love them anyway.)

**Auxana**: Hee hee. I know whatcha mean about the typing. I can't sit and type for very long, either. I always end up doing something else. Then I'll suddenly remember that I'm trying to write something, and I'll come back. Not much of a system… And thank **you** for reviewing!

**PippetJimmy**: Well, I'm glad that I'm not a horrible person! And thank you! I don't do much humor; I wanted to put something a little sillier than the regular story in, so that's where the car scene came from. Wow, 1:00! Of course, it **is** Inuyasha… I can see how you'd be exhausted, though. I would be, too. Just for the record, I don't consider reading reviews a waste of time; they make me very happy, so thanks for taking the time to do so!

**I hate stupid peepo**: Thank you, and I'm glad that you like it!

**Tiamath**: Uh… (clears throat) Oh, my. Now, **that's** embarrassing. I'll hafta correct that, **immediately**. Thanks very much for the heads up! I agree; Inuyasha got quite a bit of abuse in the last chapter. I felt kinda bad, even as I wrote it…

**fluffyrachel**: Hehe! But I know the feeling; every time Rozefire's story "Zero G" is updated, I get all happy. I'm sorry that I haven't provided enough InuKag fluff yet; right now they're not exactly happy with each other, though. But there will be fluff! (I love the stuff.) The last chapter will **definitely** be fluffy. A fluff storm thing. Yeah, my computer's very nice: an iMac. It was a bribe from my dad, actually, and I fell for it. And wow, I'm impressed and really, really flattered that this is your favorite story! (grins) Thank you so much! Truly, that goes on my little mental list of the highest compliments I've ever received!

Disclaimer: Not mine!

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Haunted

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Chapter Twenty: A Marionette

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Leaves murmured quietly, familiarly, and the rough bark beneath him was comforting. Inuyasha sighed deeply and felt more relaxed than he had for a while. This was where he belonged; in nature, resting in a tree, surrounded by familiar noises with crisp air blowing by him.

A white ear flicked as a twig snapped beneath him. The hanyou hadn't even realized how much he'd missed it, how out of place he'd felt indoors despite the friendliness of the others. He snorted derisively.

"Friendliness?" he asked the surrounding trees and the forests denizens, sarcasm dripping venomously from his voice. "Oh, sure. Being kicked off a car and then leaving me in the **dust** is friendly," the hanyou spat bitterly. A little voice in the back of his mind wondered if Kagome was still mad at him, if he'd gone too far.

With a sigh of pent-up frustration, the irritated hanyou leaped from the tree and landed on the forest floor with a cackle from the leaves beneath his feet. He needed to go somewhere, stop thinking about it, because he was afraid that if he did, he'd go trotting back to her.

With a low growl rumbling in his chest, he took off. Tree trunks whizzed by and blurred into one brown mass as he ran faster and faster. Snowy bangs brushed across his eyelids, half-closed against the wind.

He didn't know where he was going. He didn't care. Kagome's voice, berating him, rang in his mind as clearly as if she was standing next to him. "…impulsive, reckless…"

She was right. So what? Better to make decisions quickly than to sit and think forever, indecision plaguing your thoughts and torturing your mind. He knew from first-hand experience.

Running calmed his nerves, silenced his mind. Don't think, just keep running. The steady thudding of his feet against the damp earth, then tree branch, then sodden leaves went in cadence with the steady beating of his heart, a rhythm as old as time, one of primordial instincts and pure, voracious, life.

Frankly, he could run forever.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

Kagome sighed and flopped down on the couch next to Sango, palms pressed over her eyes. "Ugh," she complained.

Brown eyes flickered from the black and white printed paper of Sango's novel. She sighed. Right when it was getting interesting. Ms. Marple was just about to find a "suicide" note, then the adventure would begin. "What?"

"I thought that Ayumi would never stop asking questions!" the black-haired girl exclaimed irritably. "She just kept going, and going… are you sure that Miroku's forgetting spell worked?"

A small smile quirked the corners of Sango's mouth. "Do you think that they'd be able to conceal the knowledge if it hadn't?" the demon exterminator quizzed. "No, it worked. She was just curious."

"But why wouldn't she believe me when I told her that he was albino? She wouldn't believe me about the fact that he had a spell plastered to his back…" she sighed again. "I thought that that thing was hidden underneath his hair!" In actuality, she wasn't worried much by Ayumi's questions; it was a certain hanyou's disappearance that was bothering her.

Sango knew it, too. She lowered her book and shut the worn paperback with a decisive snap. Ms. Marple would have to wait. "He's fine," she told Kagome firmly. "He's a hanyou," At Kagome's unconvinced look, she explained; "He's quicker, quieter, and more dangerous than any of us. And his hearing and sense of smell are superb."

Kagome nodded uncomfortably. "Yeah… I guess you're right…" She twisted her hands in her lap and bit her lip slightly. Sango was right; Inuyasha could fend for himself, there was no question of that.

"But that's not what's bothering you," Sango interpreted. Kagome looked up, startled. "You're feeling bad about knocking him off the car and leaving him in the dust."

Kagome smiled despairingly. "Am I that transparent?" But the demon exterminator had hit the nail on the head. She kept playing the scene over and over in her mind; his betrayed expression, her sarcastic smile. Had it really been that bad?

"You are," Sango replied with a small smile.

"I really, really wish that I hadn't done it now," the black-haired girl admitted. "What if he got lost? He hasn't been off this property in five hundred years! What have I done?"

Sango looked at Kagome pityingly. She was really getting worked up. "How could he get lost? You just go straight down the road. And if he really wanted to, he could've caught up with us."

The black-haired girl nodded in agreement. "I know, but he's such an idiot! What if he did something stupid, like got run over by a truck? I can see him, just sitting in the middle of the road, pouting, and then this big truck comes…" She gulped.

Sango laughed in incredulity. "Kagome, I'd be lying if I told you that what you just said was plausible in any way."

"So you're saying that he just doesn't wanna come back, and he's run off somewhere because he's mad at me."

"Probably. It sounds like something that Inuyasha would do, don't you think?"

"Man…. He must hate me."

Sango glanced up sharply at the younger girl. She was just about to open her book again. "What makes you say that?" she asked carefully, though she thought that she was already aware of the answer.

"Do you really have to ask? You were there." She frowned. "But he **did** push me too far. He was really rude, even for him!"

Sango just shook her head. Let Kagome puzzle it out herself. She and Ms. Marple had a mystery to solve…

(•.•)

( • )--

"Three weeks, two days."

Kagura sighed irritably. She'd been waiting for hours, but Naraku hadn't withdrawn from Kanna's mind at all. She was getting impatient; the sooner she got the sword and gave it to the monk, the better. She glanced at the weapon on the far side of the tunnel. As a demonic weapon, it could not yet enter the cave. But she couldn't take it until Naraku was reduced to merely a collection of dark thoughts and twisted emotions, bottled up inside an urn; he had to rest sometime. If he stayed within Kanna's mind too long, his consciousness would meld into hers and he'd be trapped within her.

"Three weeks, two days."

Scarlet eyes rolled derisively. And he wouldn't stop saying that, either! The fool. He'd wish that three weeks and two days never came, when it did. Fortunately for her, Naraku could only inhabit one mind at a time; her more carefully guarded thoughts were safe from him.

The wind witch glanced at Kanna. Her eyes were deep, bottomless pits again; Naraku was gone at long last, unable to see, hear, or otherwise perceive what she was about to do… Keeping her eyes on Kanna, she picked up the sword and rushed away. They stayed the same; black, expressionless, blank.

The sword had that same numbing effect on her hands as she rushed towards Maebashi. The wind witch gritted her teeth, unwilling to let go of the weapon. If she put it down on the feather, it would warp , and ultimately, destroy her transport, and she didn't have another one yet.

The cool air rushed past her face as she flew on, whipping her bangs into her face and tugging on her clothes. It was cold, but pleasantly so. Scarlet eyes scanned the landscape below. Maebashi was off to her left, which meant that her old house was to the far right… There it was.

Slowly, she descended towards the roof. Her hands literally ached to be free of the destructive force in her hands. With a muffled thump, she landed smartly in the back yard and dropped the sword hastily. Wringing her hands, she stared pointedly at the two girls who were gaping at her on the couch.

Sango quickly closed her mouth and stood up, eyes narrowing slightly. Just because Kagura said that she came with a "peaceful intent" didn't mean that she might try anything. She could tell that the wind witch was the kind of person who cared for none but herself.

The demon exterminator grabbed Hiraikotsu on her way out as Kagome called for Miroku. They assembled outside, all of them tense and wary, but only Kagura hiding the fact well.

"There's the sword." She indicated the weapon with an inclination of her head. "I recommend… caution while handling it." She flexed her fingers gingerly. They were still numb.

"What .. kind of caution?" Miroku asked warily as he moved across the grass towards the destructive weapon, eyeing the dead grass around it warily.

"See for yourself." The wind witch pulled the feather out of her hair again and whipped it around elegantly, her transport growing larger as it rotated in the air. "I'll be back in two weeks to collect it."

She was about fifteen feet in the air when Miroku looked up, the sword gingerly in hand, and called, "Wait! We'll need longer than that to prepare!"

Kagura looked down coldly. "You don't have longer than that. Naraku will be ready in three weeks and two days." For a moment she reveled at her own daring; in the blink of an eye, Naraku could kill her, and he would for offences more minor than what she was doing now. Without waiting for a response; they were all staring at her stupidly anyway- she flew off.

Miroku blinked. "Three weeks?" he repeated mildly. "Well, that doesn't give us much time to prepare, does it?" To himself, he muttered, "I think we're in over our heads."

Sango looked at him concernedly. "You don't think we'll win?" She'd been practicing so much, too. Sango was used to being the best when it came to martial arts and combat; for her, it came as a shock that others could be that much better. But then again, she reminded herself, they're demons. Super-human strength, poison, extra body parts, and above all, cruelty.

Despite all her expertise, she'd never fought to kill. It had always been practice. Perhaps that was why her father and brother had died; they'd never fought for real, without rules where the enemy would pull underhanded tricks at any time, because it wasn't just a contest. Now, it was kill or be killed. There hadn't ever even **been** an enemy; it was you and a friend, or family member. No matter how much she practiced, noting could prepare her for that. None of them but Inuyasha knew what that was like; Kagome was merely a schoolgirl with priestess powers that she didn't even know how to use, Miroku was an amateur monk, and she was a "demon exterminator" who'd never exterminated a demon before.

Miroku was right; they were in way over their heads.

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

Inuyasha decided to rest for a moment in the branches of a tree that seemed vaguely familiar, though he was nearly positive that he'd never been in the area before. It was nice to run again after so long. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed it. It almost seemed to fill up another hole that had strangely appeared in his chest. He tried to ignore it, and turned his mind away from angry brown eyes and equally wrathful words, spoken by a usually kind voice.

With a growl born of frustration, he dropped from the tree and ran again, his destination clear in his mind. Inuyasha knew that he was somewhere near here; his memory was nearly complete of the incidents leading up to his Curse. He still didn't understand, though. Why would Kikyo…? He leapt over a fallen tree and forgot about it.

He knew that it was in the Tokugawa Domain somewhere, and he also knew that he'd remember if he saw it. A cave, a monster and other warriors who didn't trust him. But that wasn't so suspicious; no one trusted a hanyou.

A small voice protested. What about Sango and Miroku? He **lived** with them. If they didn't trust him, why would they do that? And Shippo, too. But then again, he was just a little kid. And Kagome…

The hole in his chest gaped wide open, like a yawning bottomless hole filled with despair as angry brown eyes haunted him. He'd really pushed the limit. Kagome was furious at him. But, he quickly reminded himself, he was too. Right?

He dashed across an empty road that stretched off into the distance in both directions as the a large puffy cloud crawled across the sun, suddenly blanketing the earth below in a darker shade. Grass brushed his feet as he raced effortlessly across an empty meadow and into another wooded area. The scenery was completely foreign, but oddly familiar, as if he'd stepped out of what he considered the future and into the time that he still felt that he belonged in.

The sun was still high overhead when he stopped for a break. He paused at the base of a tree before sitting down upon its roots. Nature. He was surrounded by it. A stream babbled quietly to his left and bushes rustled quietly with the movements of various small animals. Dark trunks loomed up from the shadow dank earth below into the canopy above as small birds sang occasionally, their voices as smooth and sweet as the brown syrup that Kagome had put on the "pancakes" he'd eaten.

He didn't understand how Kagome could stand being cooped up in this "Tokyo" that she came from. All the loud mechanical noises, the smells, how crowded it must be. Why did she want to go back so badly, and leave all of them behind? The hole in his chest yawned, the black depths immeasurably deep within him. How long before she left? Less than a year, that much he knew. A year from now, he'd be alone again; the Higurashis would sell their house and Sango, Miroku and Shippo would disappear. He took it with weary acceptance.

"Naraku, you bastard, where are you?" he murmured, amber eyes roving the hillside. But he spoke merely to distract his mind rather than because of his search. In fact, he was very surprised to get a response at all.

"And what do you want with Naraku?" A soft, childlike voice caused him to whirl around. He stared incredulously at the little girl before her. Granted, she had eerily empty eyes blacker than Kagome's hair and her own locks was a naturally snowy white, like her clothes, but she was still just a _child_.

"And why would you care?" the hanyou shot back. "You're far too young to've met 'im." Beneath his statement, there was a question implied; Are you from Naraku?

The child merely blinked and didn't respond. "Do you have an appointment?" These days, more than a few were coming and going. Perhaps this hanyou was one of them.

The demi-demon cracked his knuckles ominously and stared at the child. "You could say that," he replied, a low growl underlying his words.

Kanna turned wordlessly and wandered down the grassy slope, face expressionless. She knew that the hanyou was following her; his feet brushed against the long grass as it waved slightly in a weak breeze; Kagura was nowhere nearby.

"Hey, whelp. Can you hurry up?" the impatient hanyou demanded from behind her. Kanna decided that ignoring him would be best. "Are you deaf?" Or perhaps not.

The pale demon turned, eyes as expressionless as ever. "No," she replied simply, and kept going down the slope. The silvery mirror in her hand glinted in the sun, but absorbed the light rather than bouncing it back.

He frowned at the mirror. And then Inuyasha understood. "You're a demon." Mentally, he kicked himself. He should've realized that before, though she didn't give off any demonic aura, or anything else for that matter.

Kanna didn't reply to that, either. She slowed and circled a large black stone in the ground. On it, kanji marks were deeply carved. The white-haired demon disappeared around the other side.

Inuyasha frowned, then realized that the entrance was on the other side of the stone. Eyes widened as he took in the kanji; this was the place. Naraku was underneath him, at this very moment. Instinctively, he grabbed Tetsusaiga with a white-knuckled fist and followed the white-haired demon into the dark tunnel. Perhaps he was walking into a trap, but if it meant seeing- and perhaps destroying- Naraku, it would be worth it.

Kanna walked into the familiar cave and the hanyou stopped behind her at the caves entrance, amber eyes wide with awe. The cave was littered with sutras, some of them glowing, but the majority flickering. Quite a few were blank and useless on the dry sand of the cave floor.

"Ah, Kanna. You've received our visitor." A silky, soft voice stepped into his mind with the dark magnificence of a panther, brutal yet elegant. "Nice to see you again, Inuyasha."

The hanyou shook his head violently. "Get the hell out!" he bellowed, his voice reverberating against the cave walls, eyes burning with fury as they scanned the room. "Where are you, Naraku?"

"Right in front of you," Kanna's soft, hollow voice replied. This time, there was an underlying tone of menace that hadn't been there before.

With a low growl, Inuyasha strode into the cave, Tetsusaiga transformed and raised. He fell back with a yell as golden bolts of lighting struck him from the glittering kanji. He fell back against the wall outside, gasping from pain and sudden exhaustion.

"You cannot hurt me. Stop trying." Again it was Kanna who spoke as she took up a comfortable seat in the dry sand, her mirror on her lap.

Inuyasha laughed breathlessly. "You're a little girl? Fitting, isn't it?" He stood up using the rust katana as a support. He glared at the white-haired figure.

"And you're just as blind and ignorant as ever," she/he replied. "Kanna is merely my voice, eyes and ears. As I said, I am right before your eyes."

Suspiciously, Inuyasha gazed around the cave. His eyes rested incredulously upon the urns for a moment. "You're in there?" He pointed a clawed finger at the darker clay creation.

"Not for long," Kanna replied softly. "And how is it that you're alive? The last time I saw you, you were in a urn of your own." There was soft, deadly humor behind the pale child's expressionless voice.

"What's it to you?" Inuyasha growled hostilely. "I didn't come here to talk with you." Tensing, he tried to step back into the chamber. Teeth gritted against the pain, he tried to ignore the miniature lightnings playing across him.

"It's no good. You'll just get yourself killed." Kanna watched the hanyou's struggles with impassive dark eyes.

"If… you can do it, than so can I," Inuyasha retorted stubbornly through gritted teeth. He still didn't understand it; how was it that the child could sit there, without the sutras affecting her?

He was forced to retreat, gasping from the pain. He glared furiously at the white-haired girl. She chuckled softly. "Kanna is the essence of nothing. She has no demonic aura for dear Kikyo's sutras to purify."

"Don't call her that!" the hanyou barked. Things were not turning out the way he'd expected; he assumed that Naraku would be like him, flesh and blood. He thought that he'd fight him, kill him or get killed, and leave. Above all, Inuyasha had certainly not expected to be talking with him.

"Very well." There was a tone to Kanna's –Naraku's- voice that suggested that he was being very tolerant. "Now, down to business. I have a proposition for you."

"Forget it," Inuyasha replied flatly. "I'm not doing anything for you." His voice was hoarse and his amber eyes glazed with pain from the sutras' shock.

"For one so young, you certainly are close-minded." There was a cynical pause. "Oh, wait. You're over five hundred years old, aren't you?" Kanna's dark eyes mocked him.

"I told you, I'm not doing anything for you. Whatever it is, it's not in my best interests if you want me to do it." It was no good. He'd have to come back later if he wanted to kill Naraku. That is, if Naraku let him go again…

"Oh, but I think it is," Kanna contradicted, dark eyes narrowing slightly. "Unless I'm mistaken, I think that we can be of use to each other…"

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"She was right about one thing," Miroku told the other two, wincing as he held the sword. "No one should handle this without protection." He dropped the weapon onto the ground. They'd decided that because of the sword's corrosive effects, it shouldn't be brought inside. When they'd tried to, the lights flickered and one short-circuited.

Sango peered at the monk's hands curiously. "What's wrong?" Miroku flexed his hands in a weak attempt to make his bones ache less. Sango frowned. "I don't see anything."

"Try picking up the sword yourself," the black-haired man suggested. "On second thought, don't," he said hastily as Sango moved towards the weapon. The ache in his hands finally subsided, but left them feeling weak and feeble. A curious side effect… Miroku found himself wondering what exactly the sword was supposed to do.

Kagome watched in horror as the grass beneath the sword withered and died. The earth became dry and powdery, and she could feel the sword giving off a numbing feeling that made her knees weak. The black-haired girl sat down heavily, Shippo watching the weapon anxiously.

With reckless daring, he poked at the hilt with one finger and yelped as the illusion spell on him was sucked away. He scrambled away from the weapon and onto Miroku's head, teeth chattering with nerves. "That felt so… weird!" the kitsune exclaimed. "It just sucked the spell right off me…" he shuddered and glared angrily at the weapon on the ground.

Miroku looked at Kagome. "I suggest that you don't get too close to it, Kagome." At the black-haired girl's inquiring look, he explained. "I think that it absorbs spells, such as Shippo's illusion. I assume that it would do the same to your… spell." If it **was** a spell…

Kagome nodded. "That makes sense…" she glanced anxiously at the sword. "Then how am I supposed to put a spell on it?"

"That's a good question," Miroku admitted and ran a hand through his black hair.

"Do you know that answer?" Sango asked, her eyes still on the sword as the dirt beneath it began to sink lower into the ground. She didn't think that it was a good idea to have the thing around them at all.

"I'm sure that it can be done," the monk replied enigmatically. "Hm." Purple eyes stared into the distance. "Perhaps Mushin might know…" He stood up and walked into the house, leaving Sango, Kagome and Shippo very confused behind him.

"Maybe the sword does things with your mind, too," Kagome suggested. "He **was** holding it for a while."

Shippo blanched and stared at the sword as it started to sink into the pile of greyish dust that had once been dirt. "I hope not!"

Kagome smiled. "I was just kidding, Shippo." She looked back at the sword with a frown. It was starting to sink beneath the sandy stuff… She gingerly grabbed the end of a string that was wrapped around the weapon and put it onto a new patch of ground. Hastily, she let go of the string and rubbed her fingers ruefully. "Miroku's right. The sword makes your bones all achy."

Inside the house, Miroku finally remembered the phone number of his foster father. He picked up the phone in one still-achy hand and dialed, hoping that he really had gotten it right. A vague voice on the other end assured him that he was right.

"Hello?" Miroku smiled. It was certainly Mushin. His foster father coughed. "Hellooo?"

"Mushin, it's Miroku." There was a moment's silence from the other end as Miroku waited patiently for the older monk to remember him.

"Oh, Miroku! How are ya?" A note of suspicion entered his voice. "You aren't calling because you need money, are you?"

Miroku grinned. "No, but I was wondering if you know how to cast a spell without touching the subject." He glanced out of the window; the others were still sitting around the dangerous weapon.

"Mm…" The older man paused to think. "What's the base?" In the background, Miroku heard him mutter, "And where's that sake bottle?"

Miroku sighed. Mushin was a hopeless drunk. "You know," he said conversationally, "I'm surprised that you don't have a liver disorder by now."

"Mm." There was a clatter of glass bottles in the background. "Whoops. Found the sake!" Mushin exclaimed triumphantly. "Now, what were you saying?"

Miroku sighed. "Never mind. The base?" he recalled. "Oh, a sword." He tried to sound casual.

"What?" Mushin's voice on the other end was outraged and there was a crash of glass in the background. "Miroku, what on earth are you doing?"

"Umm…" Miroku glanced outside again distractedly, this time from nerves. "Well, you see, I'm trying to save the Earth from imminent doom. I think."

"You think." Miroku winced. He knew that it wouldn't go over well with Mushin. "Miroku, what are you doing? And tell me everything. I won't be able to help you otherwise," the older monk coaxed.

A sudden idea lit in Miroku's purple eyes. "Can you hold just a moment?" he asked quickly. Before Mushin had time to answer, Miroku had put down the phone and opened the back door. "Kagome! Do you mind if my foster father spends some time here?"

"Sure!" Kagome yelled back. "I'm sure that my mom won't mind!" Miroku started to slide the door shut again and stopped when Kagome called, "Is he going to help?"

"I hope so!" Miroku shut the door and hoped that Mushin wouldn't get too drunk in the Higurashis house. He picked up the phone. "Mushin?"

"Who is it?"

"Still Miroku," the black-haired monk replied patiently. "Why don't you come and see for yourself?" Mushin made a vague noise of agreement. "The house is on Priestess Lane, near Maebashi. Do you have that?"

"Think so."

"Write it down," Miroku insisted. "You'll forget." Mushin grumbled a reply. "And Come as soon as you can."

"You're getting awfully demanding, Miroku," Mushin complained. "But I'll be there in… a few days. I'll hafta arrange a taxi and stuff."

"Well, then I'll see you in a few days," Miroku told him and hung up, feeling slightly relieved.

Sango stuck her head into the house. "Miroku, I think that we need to work out the thing with the sword…" she looked anxiously over her shoulder and they hurried outside. "It's putting holes into everything. At this rate, Mrs. Higurashi will come home to find that her entire yard is dust."

Miroku nodded and crouched down next to Kagome, who was watched the sword with a sort of horrified fascination. "I suppose we'll have to find a place where it can't do any harm."

"If we don't, one of use will hafta be out here all night watching it," Kagome complained. "I for one don't wanna do that." Sango and Shippo nodded in agreement.

"What's the cloth around it made of?" Miroku wondered aloud staring at the weapon. The sword was wrapped in a plain white cloth with a brown cord wrapped around it. Surprisingly, the cloth hadn't corroded at all, and neither had the scabbard or the cord.

The others noticed the same thing. "Huh?" Shippo peered over Miroku's shoulder at the sword. "I didn't notice that before." He shuddered as the dirt melted into powdery ash and sank into the ground slightly. "I'm going back inside. This thing scares me."

"Suit yourself," Miroku replied absently and gingerly fingered the cloth. "It must be spelled," he decided with a frown. But as far as he could see, the sword sucked up spells, or perhaps just Shippo's magic. That was the problem with magic; there was no logic to it.

Sango yawned slightly. "So, someone's going to hafta watch it, right?" She shot a sideways glance at Kagome. After a moment's silence, they both dashed inside with muttered excuses, leaving Miroku alone with the sword.

The black-haired man sighed resignedly and poked at the sword with a stick. The end crumbled slightly. "Why is it always me?" he wondered aloud.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Let me guess." Inuyasha raised a sarcastic eyebrow at the white-haired girl sitting on the floor. "This is when you reveal your diabolical scheme to overrun the world or country with demons with you as their king, and ask me to join you."

Kanna chuckled softly. "Not quite," she explained. "I just want to be free. Taking over the world comes later. It's a bit ambitious for one stuck in an urn as myself, don't you agree?"

"I hope you stay in there," Inuyasha muttered darkly in response.

"Now, now," Kanna chided mockingly. "Is that any way to treat a potential ally?" Dark, bottomless eyes stared into flashing amber.

"If that's what you think, then you're not getting out of that urn any time soon," Inuyasha retorted. "You're no ally of mine. I don't give a damn about whatever you have to offer."

"Really." At this, Kanna's black eyes narrowed slightly in irritation. "You truly are a fool," she all but spat at him. "You're throwing away a once in a lifetime opportunity. And for someone over five hundred years old, that's quite an opportunity."

"Shut up," Inuyasha retorted. "I don't care what you think." He heaved himself upright. With a growing sense of alarm, the hanyou realized just how much those sutras had weakened him.

"Thick-skulled as you are, you don't honestly believe that I'd let you go so easily?" Kanna asked softly, menace dripping from each syllable. She paused to reconsider. "I don't really care what happens to you, but I'll give you a warning; interfere, and you'll regret it."

Inuyasha snorted derisively at the white-haired child. "I don't care about your threats, warnings, whatever you wanna call 'em."

The child shrugged. "Why interfere? I just want to be free, just like you do." Inuyasha flinched, and a small smirk curled at the corners of Kanna's pale lips. "You didn't think that I noticed, did you? You've stolen someone else's life force."

"Shut up!" the hanyou snarled. Naraku had hit a sore point. "I didn't **steal** it, and if I could I'd give it back! But she won't let me!" Guilt seeped into his mind like water through a leaky hull. Here he was, living Kagome's life miles away from her. Truly, he owed her his life and he was being stubborn and pouty.

Kanna looked at him, a trace of irritation in her black eyes. "I didn't bring you here to listen to your conscience, Inuyasha," she said smoothly.

"Hell, you didn't bring me here at all!" the hanyou retorted. "I came looking for you!" He stood up shakily and pointed Tetsusaiga at the darker of the two urns. "And I'm gonna do what I came here to do!" He raised the transformed sword high over his head and brought it down. "Kaze no-"

(•.•)

( • )--

"Still wallowing in guilt, Kagome?" Shippo asked with wide-eyed sincerity. The ginger-haired kitsune took a seat next to her with a frustrated sigh. If Inuyasha would just come back, Kagome would stop acting like someone had died! She'd been moping for the past two days since Inuyasha had left.

"What makes you say that?" the black-haired girl asked with a frown. "I was just thinking." They still hadn't come up with a solution to the sword. Sango was watching it now and had been for the past half an hour. By now, Kagome knew from experience how boring it was to sit out there and watch the lawn decay.

Kagome watched the older girl's dim figure pick up the sword with fraying oven mitts and a pair of melted, warped tongs and put it down somewhere else. Meanwhile, Miroku had holed himself up in his room, trying to figure out what was so special about the cloth that the sword was wrapped in, meaning that Sango was left outside with a much more corrosive weapon.

"…I **said**, Kagome, that I wanted some ice cream!" Kagome was jolted from her thoughts and Shippo stared at her accusingly.

"Sorry, Shippo." Kagome stood up slowly- her back ached from sitting on her heels and watching the sword, and trudged into the kitchen, the eager young fox demon trailing behind her with green eyes wide in anticipation.

Kagome pulled open the freezer door and looked at the ginger-haired kitsune as he scrambled onto the table, a bowl and spoon already in his hands. "I remember what happened last time, when Sango gave you too much ice cream," she reminded him. "So only a **little**, okay?" She really didn't want another episode of hyper-Shippo running around the house, wailing and breaking things again.

Shippo nodded and held out his bowl. Kagome grabbed his spoon and shoveled a small amount of mint ice cream into his bowl and the kitsune looked up indignantly. "That's **all**?" he demanded irately. He looked down at the bowl. "It's so, so little."

With a sigh of resignation, the black-haired girl ladled in another scoop. "There. And **no more**!" She picked up the tub of ice cream and shoved it back into the packed freezer. Shutting the door with a bang and a billowing cloud of cold air, Kagome wandered out of the room and returned to the couch.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

Inuyasha blinked sleepy eyes and yawned hugely. Rubbing one eye with a clawed hand, the hanyou noticed that he was still exhausted, which was puzzling. And he had the oddest notion that he'd somehow met Naraku again…. But that wouldn't explain why he was still in the exact same tree in which he'd dosed off.

Bits and pieces of "the dream" floated back into his consciousness; the sutras, the two urns, Kanna the white-haired child, the cave… He frowned and scratched his head irritably. His memory seemed to leave off when he was about to kill Naraku. Then, he was here.

Suspiciously, amber eyes roved the scenery below him. Trees were as they had been, animals bustled around below in the underbrush, birds chirped now and again, and nothing seemed out of place.

"I didn't bring you here to listen to your conscience, Inuyasha." The words rang in his mind with more truth in them than he'd seen before. With a scowl, the hanyou realized that he was indeed brought to Naraku in some way. How else would his fragmented memory known where to lead him, and how else could he have disappeared so quickly, only to wake up right where he'd been before?

The demi-demon sat up in the tree limb with a furious expression on his features. He'd let his guard down somehow, and someone –one of Naraku's people, had taken him back. It had been the perfect opportunity to kill him, surely. So why hadn't he done it?

Silently, Inuyasha grimly promised himself that he'd never let it happen again. Vaguely, he wondered what would happen; he was still a poltergeist when all was said and done, though he was using Kagome's life force… With a jolt, he realized that it might kill Kagome.

Weakly, he stumbled from the tree limb and managed to remain upright as he staggered away in search of a stream. A white ear twitched as a twig snapped somewhere ahead. His hand went to Tetsusaiga's hilt, but…

…found nothing. He stared down at the scabbard in surprise. The sword was gone. Hot anger bubbled up from the depths of his mind and glittered in his eyes. "That **bastard**!" the hanyou bellowed. Immediately forgetting about the creek he'd been searching for, the tired demi-demon took off through the forest for the second time that day.

His mind racing as quickly as his feet, Inuyasha quickly deducted that it must've been Naraku's original intent, and probably had something to do with either getting free or disposing of him; surely the demon felt resentful towards him for his part in Naraku's downfall. Perhaps it was just a trap, but why lure him to the cave when he'd already been there? "I'll find out soon enough," Inuyasha muttered to himself.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Is he coming back yet?" Naraku had once again retreated into his urn, leaving Kanna in control of her body once more.

Black eyes stared expressionlessly into the mirror. On the silvery surface, an exhausted white-haired hanyou ran doggedly, amber eyes smoldering in fury. "Yes." The mirror clouded over as if someone had breathed upon it, and cleared. Once again, it was merely a reflective surface.

"Hm." Kanna's eyes clouded, then glimmered with a sharp cunning that was alien to her. Naraku gazed intently at the katana on the ground, just outside the cave. She frowned suddenly. "And what's Kagura up to?" Naraku knew that he'd given her far too much liberty. He had a feeling that even if he didn't, hers was an independent spirit. She'd know freedom, and wanted it back.

In the mirror, the wind witch flew steadily towards "home", her scarlet eyes troubled and distant as her black hair swirled around her face. "Just in time," Naraku decided. Kagura could kill off Inuyasha, and that would be the end of that; he didn't need the hanyou anymore, now that he had what he needed from him.

Kanna/Naraku watched idly as Kagura's eyes widened in surprise. She circled lower and fell in stride with Inuyasha. "Perfect," Naraku smirked. The hanyou stumbled and made a swinging swipe at Kagura. She pulled out of the way easily and smiled sarcastically.

They exchanged a brief, rather unfriendly-looking conversation before Kagura swooped up and into the air. Naraku frowned suspiciously. Now, this was food for though, although he knew that Kagura often liked to play with her prey –a certain wolf demon came to mind. She didn't bloody the hanyou up a bit.

A soft thud announced Kagura's landing on the hill above the cave. Briefly after, she appeared below. "Naraku, you've got company!" Her eyes found the rusted katana on the ground. "And no wonder."

"You were supposed to **greet** the company, Kagura," Kanna replied softly, dark eyes staring almost hypnotically. "You didn't even try to attack." She watched the wind witch's response carefully.

Kagura shrugged carelessly. "I wasn't aware of that." Crimson eyes met bottomless black. "Shall I go out and give him a proper welcome?" Idly, she flicked her fan open.

"It's quite alright," Kanna said smoothly. "He won't find his way in here. Besides," she idly tugged on a strand of long black hair tied through a wooden peg. "I've got something interesting planned."

"A golem?" Kagura asked dubiously as she sat down cross-legged on the damp earth, next to the sword.

"Yes. A golem." It was an abrupt response, for Kanna had things to do. The silvery mirror in her lap misted over and cleared, revealing a black-haired girl in a green and white sailor suit.

Inuyasha stopped abruptly in front of her, eyes wide in surprise. "Kagome? What are you doing here?" Amber eyes turned distractedly to glance at the surrounding hills.

Kagome smiled sweetly, and glassy brown eyes stared into gold. "I've come to kill you." She took a step forward and the hanyou suddenly noticed the knife in her hand.

Inuyasha laughed uneasily. "You can't be **that** mad." But there was doubt in his voice; she'd already pushed him off a car, something that would kill the normal person…

"There's no mistake." Kagome's smile was cheerful and sincere and the dagger in her hand flashed orange in the fading sun. "I've been told to kill you."

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

Miles away in a large house, the real Kagome Figurate sat on the floor of the library, her finger tracing dusty lines on the floor. Suddenly, a small urge made her stand up, and soon she found herself walking down the hall.

Feeling slightly dizzy, she decided to sit down on the couch with Sango for a while. No, she had something to do, somewhere to go. The image of a black stone, strange marks carved into its side, flashed through her mind. She had to find the stone.

Sango looked up from her book when she heard the front door open. "Kagome?" Her brown creased in a frown. "Where are you going?"

"Out for a walk. I won't be gone long, don't worry." The black-haired girl smiled cheerfully. "I need some fresh air." To Kagome, it was almost like a dream; everything seemed far away and unreal as she walked down the driveway, the crunch of gravel under her shoes echoing distantly in her ears as if from far away. A big, sunny smile broke out on her face for no reason as she traipsed down the road, even as some small part of her mind was clamoring with alarm. Something was wrong…

She felt lighter and more carefree than she had in ages. Nothing could bother her; what would come, would come. No use worrying about it; how would that change anything? Shedding guilt, anxiety, stress, she bubbled into laughter.

She was going for a walk!

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

AN: Sorry, I know it's been a while! (And this chapter was quite a bit shorter than usual…) I've got finals next week, and I really need to study for math and French. Teachers've been loading review on us….

Questions, comments, ect are all welcome.


	21. Ruthless

AN: It's been a while, I know! Sorry! I pulled my shoulder(s) just a bit, nothing serious, but they're both _really_ sore, so it took me a while. This chapter was also very challenging because it's really a huge turning point for the entire story…

Responses:

**Auxana**: Yup; fire rat fur. If it wasn't, I think that Inuyasha would mysteriously find himself not wearing anything when he switched from poltergeist to normal and back because of the properties of the stuff or what have you… Something that I feel few people would object to, but he needs his dignity! Ooh, a bribe… I love pocky! Especially the strawberry kind… Thank you!

**Inu Kaiba**: I'm sorry! Please forgive my many grammar, spelling and other mistakes! The first seventeen chapters I really ripped through, and as such, there're lots of 'em. (There's only so much that the Spelling/Grammar Check can fix…)

**Tiamath**: Heh. Miroku does some pretty stupid things sometimes, doesn't he? On the subject of the shorter chapter: I probably shouldn't mention that, should I? No point in drawing attention to it…

**Inu-ears**: Thanks! And man, you're lucky. I **finally** got out, but it took a while. The last week crawled by at a snail's pace, and it drove me insane!

**Didiaskyou**: Well… I didn't have Inuyasha and Kagome making out in mind when I thought about writing the end, exactly… But it'll be fluffy, I can promise ya that.

**blinkytingson**: Thank you!

**AkeryouSesshoumarusMate**: I'm sorry! I wasn't trying to be mean, or anything… It seems that I have a strange obsession with cliffhangers. I will try to fix it, and I promise that this chapter won't end with a cliffhanger.

**fluffyrachel**: hehe… I'm sure that Inuyasha isn't stupid enough to believe that Kagome would go as far as to try and kill him, or even **hurt** him… Will Naraku be killed? Well, you'll see.

**AnimeKitty07**: YOU'RE LUCKY! At the time I read your reveiw- 6/12/05- I had not yet gotten out. I got out on the seventeenth… And I was very jealous, because I was stuck in school for another lousy week.

**rin sama1989**: First of all, I wish to apologize: I had problem uploading the 19th chapter, and then I forgot to later! Then, when it came time to do the twentieth, I realized that I hadn't done it… I'm so sorry! Kagura's clumsy landing was from her eagerness to get rid of The Sword. If Naraku has uncovered her treachery, he certainly hasn't done anything about it!

**Angel 4 life**: The same goes for you; I'm very sorry that I forgot to upload chapter twenty on mediaminer! I feel really bad about that… How many more chapters? Well, let's just say that it's coming to a close. I'd hafta say… less than five, but not too many less. Four or three-ish.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Let's see… I've now proclaimed that I am –sadly- not the owner of Inuyasha twenty-one times! Whoo!

x

Haunted

x

Chapter Twenty-One: Ruthless

x

Obviously something was very, very wrong.

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha was bewildered. And how had Kagome ended up here?

"I hate you," Kagome replied simply. "So I'm going to kill you." And without further warning, she lunged forward stiffly, like a doll, hands outstretched. Only, Inuyasha noticed with wide eyes, they **weren't** hands. Her fingers were tentacles.

"What the hell-" he leaped out of the way easily. "is going on?" A sudden thought occurred to him. He sniffed. "I knew it! You're not Kagome!" He exclaimed triumphantly. Thank gods for that…

"Yes I am." The Kagome look-alike smiled prettily. "I'm Kagome, and I'm going to kill you. Stop moving." She lunged again, tentacles flailing.

Gritting his teeth, Inuyasha easily hacked away the tentacles. They fell to the grass, writhing. The opponent herself –or maybe **himself**- wasn't that hard to beat. It was the fact that when he hurt him or her, it was Kagome who grimaced in agony, with tears in her eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" she cried, as if it was **his** fault. "You're not supposed to hurt me. You need to die," she explained, as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world.

A sharp, harsh bark of laughter uttered from Inuyasha's throat. "You must be the most idiotic thing I've met if you think I'm going to listen to you. That includes **Kouga**. You're **not** Kagome." Teeth still gritted, he moved forward and hacked at more tentacles.

"Kagome" dropped onto her knees, head bowed over. Yet, Inuyasha's sharp amber eyes noticed that her brown ones were alive with cunning. It was probably best to stay away for now. Besides, he didn't think that he could make himself do anything else to this creature that looked and acted so much like the black-haired girl….

It was as if she read his thoughts. "Can't bear to kill me, can you, Inuyasha?" The Kagome look-alike straightened, cold, cruel confidence shining in narrowed eyes. She laughed harshly at the fury smoldering in his eyes. "Well, isn't that something?" There was a thoughtful expression to her face.

"You're wrong." That look in her eyes, that cruel sneer. She didn't look like Kagome at all now. Sure, she wore the same shape, the same face, but the way that she wore it was arrogant, cruel. That wasn't like Kagome, and with that appearance, the whole charade slid away.

But even still, he hesitated, and she knew it. "No, **you're** wrong, you filthy mutt." The words dripped from her mouth like poison, and he struck, claws outstretched. The look-alike collapsed.

Inuyasha reeled back as if he had been the one struck. Clenching his fists tightly until they drew his own blood, rather than the other stuff smeared over them. She looked like Kagome when she was dead.

Something struck him from behind and he staggered, whirling around in surprise. It didn't look at all like Kagome now. The thing was all tentacles. "A **golem**?" Inuyasha queried incredulously. "Don't tell me Naraku **still** uses thing things…" He shook his head and calmly ran it through the chest with one hand. It crumbled into dirt.

But wait… to make a golem, you needed the hair of the one it took after, didn't you? Slowly, he bent over and picked up the wooden doll. So, Naraku needed Kagome's hair. And where would he get Kagome's hair? Why, her head of course. In other words, Naraku had Kagome.

"Oh, shit."

The frantic hanyou took off at a desperate sprint.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

She didn't know where she was going.

But for some reason, she didn't really seem to care. In the grand scheme of things, what did it matter that she was going for a walk to a place that she didn't know, yet **did** know? She'd never been there before, that much she knew, but she knew where to go. It confused her. Why waste time trying to figure it out? All would be explained in time. She just had to wait until she reached her destination.

A small, saner corner of her mind shrieked that something was more than wrong; it was terrible. She couldn't properly think. Everything was blurred and dizzy as her feet drifted across the top of the grass. That one conscious part of her mind wondered if she was even walking.

Time passed –it could've been only five minutes, or even fifty- and she seemed to stop. Whatever. Maybe she did, maybe she didn't. Did it really matter that much? Blurrily, Kagome realized that she shrugged, a small carefree smile playing on her lips. There seemed to be a large black stone nearby. But who cared?

Something came out from behind the stone, but the part of her mind that was still active had no idea what it was. She couldn't focus.

Someone snapped their fingers softly and the disorienting shroud cleared like thick fog in the sun. She blinked and stared around her to get her bearings. She had no idea where she was. Or, for that matter, who the white-haired girl was standing in front of her.

"Come." The pale girl spoke with a voice as soft as silk and as hollow as her father's promises to return home one day –but now was not the time to think of things like that.

Without Kagome's leave, her body obediently stepped forward and followed the child behind the rock and down a long, sloping tunnel. Fortunately, she still had some control. "Where are you taking me?"

The white-haired girl didn't answer, and merely kept walking, pale lank hair swinging slightly as she disappeared down the dark tunnel.

Kagome followed –or rather, her body did. Panic rose in her mind and fluttered in her gut as the tunnel got darker and started to slope downwards more. "Where are we going?" she repeated, a slight edge to her voice.

"You will see." The child didn't turn around to address her and turned a corner. She bowed low to something beyond. "She is here."

"I am aware of that, Kanna." A cold, deadly voice echoed through Kagome's mind. She clapped her hands to her ears and winced. There was a searing pain in the voice, one that tore at her mind and made it feel as if her ears were bleeding.

"Youkai energe doesn't react well with you, does it Kagome?" This time, it was the pale child, Kanna, who spoke.

Kagome didn't respond. She was still crouched over, hands pressed to her ears from the pain. Her head throbbed and there was a dull ache in her bones as if they were dry and brittle. Through gritted teeth, she realized that the girl was speaking.

"…your abilities, but I've found a much more promising quality that you possess, one that will work far better." Kanna smiled smugly. "Come." She walked into the cave with large striding steps, not the small shuffles that she'd taken before.

Kagome tagged along compliantly. "You're not the same person, are you?" the black haired girl asked slowly as she was urged into the cave.

Kanna chuckled softly and settled on the dirt floor by a large urn. Kagome's eyes widened in surprised shock. The cave was littered with sutras, most of them rotten or shriveled pieces of paper on the floor. A few of them hung in the air, glowing defiantly but weakly.

"You could say that." The white-haired child inspected her fingers with eyes alive with cold intelligence that hadn't been present before. "It would be more accurate to say that Kanna here is merely my incarnation. An extension of me."

Kagome sat down heavily and leaned against one of the cave walls. "And who are 'you'?" Kagome asked hostilely, though she was pretty sure that she already knew the answer.

Again, it was as if the entity already knew her thoughts. "You already know that, don't you?" Naraku chuckled gently. "Not that it matters." Kanna picked up aa wooden doll. For some reason, the sight of it chilled Kagome to the bone. Dark, bottomless eyes met angry brown. "You're right to be afraid of this, girl." The eyes narrowed as Kanna held forth the little figure. "I know your thoughts, emotions, memories through this."

Kagome's eyes widened in shock and she tensed against the cave wall. "How?" Her voice came out slightly squeaky, rather than the imperious tone that she'd intended.

"Your hanyou is careless," Naraku replied dispassionately through Kanna. "He came in here, waved his sword about and acted generally stupid, and then left himself completely defenseless and at my disposal."

"What'd you do with Inuyasha?" Kagome managed to stand up against the euphoric force controlling her.

"I didn't kill him, as you think." Naraku sighed. "He's nearly immortal, you know. The only way to kill him is through his urn." Dark eyes narrowed. "You might find that information helpful when all is said and done, girl. After all, you're going to die because of him."

"What are you talking about?" It was as if Naraku was speaking a different language, one of insinuations and riddles.

"He was borrowing your life force, correct? Now I have it, which makes you my puppet. I could kill you, make you kill Inuyasha, make you kill the demon exterminator, the possibilities are wonderful," he explained. "But I have a **much** better idea for you. You're much too good to waste on such petty tasks."

"I don't care **what** you want me to do," Kagome told him stubbornly. "I'm **not** doing it. In fact, I think I'm going to go home now." She slowly got to her feet and started to walk out of the cave. It was like walking through water. She still wasn't in full control of her body.

Kanna frowned. "How odd. You shouldn't be able to move at all." Eyes bright with comprehension, she smirked. "Oh! No wonder. You made quite a botch of that spell, didn't you?"

Kagome flushed, embarrassed. "Well it works, so it doesn't matter!" she retorted. "Now, goodbye!" Her steps became stronger as she regained partial control of her legs.

"Stop." And Kagome did. "Come back and take that sword in the corner." With gritted teeth, she stubbornly obeyed.

Naraku smirked. "There you go. Feeling much more obedient, are we?"

The black-haired girl's eyes widened in shock. "But this is Inuyasha's sword!" She swung around. "Why do you have it? What did you do to Inuyasha?" she cried, hands trembling in anxiety.

"I already told you that I just took his sword and a bit of your life force," the demon explained patiently. "Now shut up and destroy this urn."

Like a puppet, Kagome lifted the rusted blade high overhead and swung down. Kanna watched with hungry anticipation, eyes gleaming.

Nothing happened.

"What?" Kanna whirled furiously on Kagome. "Girl! What did you do?"

Kagome shrugged, relieved that whatever it was hadn't worked. "Just what you asked me. Don't blame **me** for your stupidity."

"I don't have to put up with this," Naraku snapped. "Shut up and sit in the corner like a good prisoner."

"Make me." Kagome was starting to wonder if this Naraku was really so evil and twisted as Inuyasha had led to her believe. He seemed pretty human to her, though he was definitely messed up and deadly. Sure, he was clearly a murderer, but there were plenty of murderers not considered evil, right?

"Do it, or I'll kill you."

"You won't kill me," Kagome retorted archly. Yup. This guy was a pushover. "I'm your bargaining chip or whatever. I wouldn't be very valuable dead, would I?"

"But I could suck out your soul and leave your body under my complete control," Kanna's voice was as soft as powdered snow, and just as cold.

Brown eyes wide in a pale face, Kagome realized that he wasn't joking. She scrambled upright and then hurried to the corner, her mouth firmly shut. Okay, maybe he **was** as bad as Inuyasha said.

(•.•)

--( • )--

"Hey, where's Kagome?" Shippo wandered into the living room and plopped down on the couch next to Sango as he sucked on a lollipop.

Deftly, Sango grabbed the stick and pulled it out of his mouth and continued to read. "She went out for a walk about half an hour ago."

"Hey! Give it back!" Shippo reached for the candy beseechingly.

"No way," Sango retorted. "You've had **way** to much sugar recently." She lifted her eyes from her book. "In fact," the demon exterminator continued, "I remember seeing you eating ice cream just this afternoon, and you had that sugary cereal for breakfast. No more sugar for you."

"I wish Kagome would come back," Shippo grumbled, and scrambled off the couch. "She's much nicer than **you**."

"Don't try and make me feel bad," Sango warned and returned to the neat black-and-white printed world of Mrs. Marple. "I babysat my cousin, Ataru. He was twice as bad as you."

"I prefer to think that I'm twice as good as him." Shippo sat down on the floor and started to bounce a bright red rubber ball.

"It doesn't work that way, Shippo." Miroku sauntered into the room with a sigh. "You're only half as bad as him."

"It's the same thing." Up and down went the little red ball. It hit a dent in the carpet and went rolling away. The kitsune scrambled after it.

Miroku dusted off his aching hands. "I fixed up the sword," he told the others proudly. "It's no longer melting holes in stuff."

"Congrats." Sango didn't look up from her book. "Now how about fixing that hole in the roof?" Shippo snickered at Miroku's deafeated look.

"None of you appreciate my talents." He trudged out of the room and up the stairs, intent on taking a nice long shower to rid the feel of the sword from his skin.

Shippo flopped onto his back and rolled the little ball over the carpet. "Kagome's been gone a long time, hasn't she?"

"Oh, only about a half an hour or so." Sango glanced at the clock, and her eyes widened. "An hour?" My, how time flies…

"See? A long time…" Shippo yawned. "She better come back soon. I'm so bored…"

"Why don't you go play with the leftover packaging from the move?" the demon exterminator queried, her mind still focused on Kagome's absence. An hour wasn't a long time to be gone for a walk, but she'd seemed pretty odd when she left, too. It just seemed wrong.

"But that's only fun with Souta!" the ginger-haired kitsune protested. He glanced at the candy in Sango's hand. "Can I have my lollipop back now?" Wide green eyes stared hopefully into distracted brown.

"No." She flipped a page in the worn little paperback. Abruptly, she sighed and put the book down. "I'm going to go look for Kagome." She stood up and walked to the door. Slipping on her shoes, she turned to Shippo. "Hopefully, I'll be back in about half an hour, with Kagome."

"Why?" Shippo looked at the demon exterminator skeptically. "She's only been gone about an hour, right? Maybe she just takes long walks."

Sango shrugged uneasily and opened the front door with a click. "It just didn't seem right. You're probably right, and she's fine. I still wanna check."

"You'd be a really overbearing mother," the kitsune observed. "Always checking on your kids and stuff." Shippo noticed with interest that his comment made Sango blush furiously hefore slamming the door behind her.

He shrugged. "That's weird."

(•. •)

( )

Inuyasha growled with frustration, amber eyes glinting furiously. It felt like he'd been running for hours, and he didn't seem to be much closer. Of course, he reminded himself, panic was like that. Time seemed to slow and crawl by at a snail's pace.

"Almost there," he growled and leapt over a brook. Less than half a mile to go if he was where he thought he was. The hanyou grimaced in spite of himself. The last time he'd been here, he was part of a motley crew of humans, off to fight Naraku. A question that hadn't entered his mind before surfaced.

Why?

Why fight Naraku? What exactly had happened between the humans and the demon? It was a question he should've asked in the beginning, rather than running off blindly for some lost cause. There was no doubt in his mind that Naraku was dangerous, and wanted him dead. There was no doubt that he was cruel, heartless and self-centered. But what did he do to merit the attack?

As he ran, he called up distant memories, like bubbles rising through water to the forefront of his mind.

_Dark eyes flashed with hate. "Why are you here, hanyou? I have no quarrel with you." Those eyes turned to the priestess sitting in the corner and chanting spells that would eventually end up trapping both hanyou_.

_Naraku's mouth twisted in a softly mocking smile. "It wouldn't happen to be love, would it? Or perhaps a need to belong. Being their lapdog won't make them accept you. Doing their dirty work, sacrificing your life for humans won't gain their respect. You're just a handy tool for them_…"

Only, Inuyasha realized too late that he'd been right. Working for humans wouldn't make him part of their community, despite what Kikyo had promised. Maybe she **did** accept him, maybe she didn't. Maybe she loved him, maybe she didn't. But the fact was, no one else would. There was too much hostility towards demons and hanyou alike. Yes, he realized far too late; five hundred years too late.

He knew now that if that's what it took to be one of them, then it wasn't worth it. He shouldn't –and didn't- have to lower himself to gain acceptance; acceptance was in Kagome's smile and Shippo's taunts, in Miroku's backup and Sango's quiet confidence. It was in Mrs. Higurashi's kindness and Souta's wide-eyed admiration.

He crested a hill and took a moment to get his bearings. There. Amber eyes flashed with the promise of revenge as he pinpointed the black rock. Dropping his train of thought, the furious demi-demon raced down the slope with clenched fists and hoped that he wasn't too late.

Because he simply refused to be too late this time.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

Meanwhile, Sango was getting absolutely nowhere. Kagome wasn't out back on the hill, she wasn't in the forest, and the demon exterminator was starting to get anxious. It had been two hours now. She needed help to search.

The black-haired woman sighed and trudged up the hill towards the house, carefully maneuvering around various bushes and trees that got in her way. The forest out back was really quite a mess; there were no trails, no signs and it was dark in a foreboding way. Tall, magnificent trees towered above her like shady sentinels, testimony to time. Oddly, there was little to no forest life, or it was all very silent. The only sound was Sango's worn sneakers as the wove back and forth up the slope.

A few curses and struggles with the underbrush later, a scratched and irritable Sango emerged from the forest, frowning. "That's odd…" she murmured, a hand over her eyes to shade them from the sun.

There was nothing familiar in her sight. An endless green field stretched out ahead of her, the long, uncut grass waving restlessly in a nippy breeze. Anxiety seeped up from the packed dirt and through her shoes, making her shudder. Something wasn't right here. She turned to look back at the forest. It looked out of place in this giant, lonely space before her. It was a pity that she didn't have a cell phone. But then, that might not've worked anyway.

Something told her that trying to get through and go home would reap the same results. And perhaps Kagome had gone this way. Maybe she'd gone through here and had gotten lost, thus her disappearance. "Bingo." Sharp brown eyes noticed a path through the grass. While Sango wasn't the best of trackers, she knew a trail when she saw one. Judging from the width of it, it belonged to a person, or a large animal. Sango was betting that it was a person, and that that person was Kagome.

Fifteen minutes later, the demon exterminator was starting to get impatient. The path was clearly marked, but the grass was thick and hard to walk through. So far, she'd seen no signs of other life or technology. "Wait…" Sango stopped temporarily as things clicked into place. "It's exactly like the forest." She counted off on her fingers and hurried on. "No animals, no technology, no people, all undisturbed…" How long had she been wandering through that other forest? When had the familiar one become this place?

With a growl of frustration, she ripped out a handful of grass. She hated being trapped like this. She was weaponless, friendless, clueless, and was walking through an apparently never-ending field of grass. There were only two ways to go, and only one that made sense to take. Sango pushed forward, some choice words coming to mind as she decided what to say to whoever was behind this.

(•.•)

--( • )--

"What are you doing?"

Kagome glanced nervously at the small objects littered around Kanna on the cave floor. There were three large wooden boards, all of them unmarked. Three smoky brass bowls were stacked, one on each of the boards with blank parchment in them.

Kanna didn't reply as she ground up a black ink stick and added other powders to it. She took the new mixture and stirred it into brackish water, making sure that the ink was smooth. A pale hand reached out for a scrap of parchment, and the brush flowed smoothly over the thick paper. The kanji glowed a sickly orange and turned reddish, like the color of dried blood.

In the other corner, Kagome shuddered and wished that she was somewhere else. **Anywhere** else. Futilely, she tried again to move her legs and stand up. The black-haired girl heaved a frustrated sigh. At least she could still talk, right?

Brown eyes watched in perverse fascination as the silent demon dropped the spell into the bowl, which was half-filled with a grey powder. The parchment burst into flame, the tips glowing red and curling. The little scrap burned up, leaving behind some noxious smoke and glowing kanji in the bowl.

Delicately, Kanna opened a newspaper twist and took a small pinch of dark green material. She scooted away carefully and dropped the stuff over the bowl. There was a blinding flash and a roar. Kagome shielded her eyes and backed away, too surprised to even realize that she'd managed to move herself.

Kanna came out looking slightly the worse for wear, with a gleeful expression on her face. "Goshinki!" It was Naraku's voice. "Welcome back!"

A large claw squeezed itself out of the bowl, followed by an impossibly sized forearm. Kagome didn't bother wondering how something that large could appear out of the bowl that small like that. She simply backed away again, brown eyes wide. That's when she noticed.

She could move.

Slowly, a plan began to form in Kagome's mind. While Naraku/Kanna was distracted, she would escape. The best time would probably be during the next bowl's explosion, when no one would hear her or see her through the smoke and the bang that accompanied it.

Fortunately for her, Kanna had just started a second bowl-and-powder reaction. Kagome watched almost hungrily as Kanna carefully tipped the green powder into her hand.

Kanna's dark eyes were intent on the bowl and not Kagome as she backed away and tipped the powder in. Bingo!

Kagome lurched to her feet and rushed to the exit, making sure that her feet didn't echo in the tunnel as she dashed out.

Instincts that had kept humankind alive since the dawn of their existence stirred in Kagome. Adrenaline surged through her veins and her heart fluttered like a leaf in a gale. Brown eyes focused on one thing: the exit, a small patch of pale blue sky in the midst of the dark tunnel.

She scrambled up the last few yards and shot through the opening into someone's grasp. She tried to scream, but a hand covered her mouth. Brown eyes shut in defeat.

Foiled at every turn.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

Frankly, Inuyasha was surprised.

He'd expected a demon to come rushing out of the tunnel at him, claws and teeth bared. So, he'd readied himself, one foot in front of the other as he tensed on the balls of his feet. Ready to spring.

Imagine his surprise when it was Kagome who dashed out of the hole like a bat out of hell and straight into his chest. She screamed, but the hanyou managed to get a hand over her mouth to muffle the noise.

The two surprised teens stumbled back, Inuyasha heaving a sigh of relief and Kagome still terrified. Inuyasha pushed her back and looked fiercely at her. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Kagome smiled with relief. "Oh, Inuyasha! I thought that you were one of Naraku's minions, or something. And just after I managed to get out, too."

"Are you all right?" Inuyasha repeated intently.

"I'm fine," Kagome replied quickly with a glance behind her. "But we should get out of here quickly. Naraku'll notice that I'm gone pretty soon."

Without any notice, Inuyasha grabbed the black-haired girl and swung her on his back before dashing away. "How'd you get out in the first place?"

"Kanna –she's the little girl, with the creepy voice" –Kagome shuddered slightly, "was bringing things to life inside bowls, or bringing them out. There was a blast and I escaped then while she was distracted."

"One more question." Inuyasha risked a glance behind him and sighed with relief. No one was following. "How did you get caught?"

Kagome shifted uncomfortably and averted her eyes. "Naraku said that he had control of my life force," she admitted finally.

Inuyasha stiffened, guilt gripping his throat like a vice. The hanyou grimaced. Kagome had given her life force to him, and this was the way that he repaid her. "Kagome, I'm so sorry," he told her vehemently. "I swear I'll get him back-"

"No problem." Kagome interrupted, slightly flustered at Inuyasha's intensity. "I'm surprised that he hasn't done anything yet, actually. Oh, wait…"

_Kanna frowned. "How odd. You shouldn't be able to move at all." Eyes bright with comprehension, she smirked. "Oh! No wonder. You made quite a botch of that spell, didn't you_?"

It was that "Oh! No wonder." That caught her attention. "No wonder." What did he mean by that?

"Wait for what?" Inuyasha glanced back again. No one following. They were safe for now, until Naraku got it through his thick skull that Kagome was gone and used her against him. Like that golem… He shuddered and shoved the thoughts away. He realized that Kagome was talking.

"… about the weird thing I did with that spell, you know? Somehow it was inhibiting him, or something. He –or she, since it was Kanna- said 'No wonder' when she was having problems controlling me. I could still talk, and that wasn't supposed to happen."

"Huh?" The demi-demon had no idea what she was rambling about.

"I was saying," Kagome began again patiently, "that the weird thing I did with the spell was messing with his ability to control me as he thought he'd be able to." She sighed heavily. The last few days had been… trying, to say in the least. And she knew that she'd been in the wrong. "I'm… sorry," she admitted grudgingly.

Inuyasha stopped in his tracks, surprised. "What?" White ears twitched maddeningly. Had he heard her correctly?

Kagome's face flushed with embarrassment. "I said I was sorry! What more do you want?"

"Sorry for what?" **He** was the one who'd given Naraku "the ace". It was sheer luck that he was having difficulty controlling Kagome. He glanced back again and started running.

"I'm sorry for making you fall off the car and driving away," the black-haired girl grumbled unhappily. "There. I said it. Happy now?"

Inuyasha snorted. "You **should** be sorry." But he knew that he was pushing it. Best to stop now before she decided to make him eat dirt again.

"Well, I am," she admitted. "By the way, how'd you get to Naraku in the first place? What happened?"

The demi-demon sneered in self disgust. "I was lured there, I think. Then, I talked with him, waved Tetsusaiga around and got knocked out. The next thing I knew, I was sitting in a tree like nothing happened." What a disaster…

"We all make mistakes." Kagome knew it was a futile attempt to console him.

(•.•)

--( • )--

Purple eyes thoughtful, Miroku looked up from the newspaper he was reading. The story was quite elaborate, something about a missing woman spotted floating outside of someone's window. The monk smiled thinly. It was a small world, especially when the "missing woman" turned out to be no other than Kagura.

Was it just him, or was the house oddly silent?

The purple-eyed man set down the article and stood up from his seat in the kitchen. He moved to the window and peered out. No one was there. Miroku shrugged a wandered into the living room. "Hello?" His voice echoed forlornly, the only sound in the house besides the dull whine of the refrigerator.

"That's odd…" Where was everyone else? Inuyasha was missing, presumably off pouting somewhere, so that left Sango, Kagome, Shippo and Kirara. And Buyo. Miroku stepped over the large furry blob and the goliath cat rolled a green eye in his direction.

Miroku trudged up the steps to the second floor. "Sango?" He knocked on the exterminator's door. There was no reply. "Are you there?" The black-haired man knocked again. Silence. "Well…" he grumbled. "Did they all ditch me like Inuyasha?"

There was a mewing sound from near his feet and Miroku glanced down in surprise. It was Kirara. "Did they leave you, too?" He frowned. That wasn't right. Kirara and Sango were close; the little firecat was the only member of their unorthodox family that shared a past with the demon exterminator. She was the only one who knew, and Miroku could understand that. Kirara typically went with Sango everywhere.

Something wasn't right.

The monk crouched down on the floor next to the little demon. "I don't suppose that you'd know where Sango or Kagome are, would you?"

Slit-pupiled red eyes stared unblinkingly into purple. Kirara mewed and sat down on the carpeted floor.

"I guess not." Miroku sighed unhappily and trudged to Kagome's door, Kirara trailing behind forlornly.

"Kagome?" Miroku rapped his knuckles on the door. "Anyone there?" Again, there was no answer. The black-haired man wandered away, clearly confused. "What on **earth** is going on here?"

"Beats me."

Miroku flinched and whirled around in surprise. Purple eyes widened. There was no one behind him in the corridor. "Who's there?" he demanded.

"Look down here, stupid," Shippo retorted sourly. His bushy tail twitched in agitation and emerald eyes glared sullenly.

"Oh." Miroku frowned. "You don't appear to be in a very good mood, Shippo."

"Sango took my last lollipop away." The kitsune folded his arms over his chest grumpily and followed the monk down the hallway.

"So you're suffering from withdrawal symptoms." Miroku nodded sagely. The kid was addicted to sugary substances. "And Sango **is** here. Where did you see her?"

"Oh, she left a while ago," the ginger-haired kitsune replied airily. "She went to go look for Kagome, said something about if she's not back in twenty minutes that something, something… I dunno."

"Thank you, Shippo." Miroku increased his pace, worry creasing his brow into a frown. Twenty minutes. It must've been longer than that by now… "Shippo, when did she leave?"

"Oh, **ages** ago." Little alarm bells went off in Miroku's head at the kitsune's comment. "Must've been at least an hour ago."

"I see. Do you know where she went?" Miroku broke out in a jog, those alarm bells shrieking. Just stay calm. What could've happened, after all? Sango was strong, a good fighter. She could defend herself.

"I told you already. She's looking for Kagome." The monk shot him a pointed look. "She went out the back door, but I don't know anything else." The kitsune suddenly realized that something might be very wrong. "Do you think something happened to her? And what about Kagome?" Shippo's voice went shrill.

"That's what I want to find out." Miroku dashed around a corner and rushed down a flight of stairs. He glanced back. "Kirara, can you find Sango?" It was a safe guess; Kirara had found her friend before, when she'd left her home and wandered here.

The cat mewed in the positive.

"Then let's go." Miroku grabbed his staff from the wall. "Oh, I almost forgot." He dug around in his pocket and handed a photo to Shippo. "If anyone looking like this knocks on the door, answer it and make sure that he stays away from the alcohol."

Shippo looked at the picture dumbly. "Wait! When are you coming back? Don't leave me here alone!"

"You're not alone," the monk retorted and slid open the back door. "You've go Buyo, remember?"

"Buyo doesn't count!" the kitsune wailed. "He's a **cat**! A fat, lazy cat!"

"He's company. Now, if you'll excuse me…" The two of them walked through the doorway and Kirara grew in a flash of fire. "Let's go, Kirara!" The fire cat leapt up into the midday sky.

"I **DON'T** EXCUSE YOU!" Shippo hollered. "COME BACK!"

(\ /)

(•.•)

( )

Sango was beyond pissed.

Ipso facto, she was absolutely furious. According to her watch, she'd been walking for an hour and a half now. And she'd gotten absolutely nowhere, as far as she could see. The grassy expanse spread out to the horizon, and the trail she was following did exactly the same thing.

The demon exterminator turned to survey her work. "Great. I'm surrounded by grass. Lots and lots of grass." She could no longer see the forest she'd come out of. Green hills stretched out in the distance, hummock after hummock, hills and valleys all covered with the same waving green plant material.

Brown eyes narrowed. Yes, the same green. She turned to the right. "Oh…!" There. That hill was identical to the one behind her, and the one to the left, as was that valley to the one behind her, and that little slope there was in front of her. "It's all just an illusion…" She shook her head wearily. All this time she'd been wandering through an illusion, and probably following an imaginary path. So, how to get out of it?

Sango pushed through the long grass and left the path, intent on the identical hills. After fifteen minutes of struggling through the vegetation and several choice exclamations, Sango made it to the top of the nearest hill.

"Ahah!" Down below on the other side was a road, the one leading out of Maebashi. Speaking of which… There was the city in the distance. Happily, Sango plunged down the slope and stumbled onto the road.

She paused a moment, brown eyes narrowed as she stared down the road. Something was coming, and it wasn't a car, though it was going fast enough… Well, if it was a car, then she'd never seen anything like it before.

"Oh!" The demon exterminator straightened and waved. "Hey, Inuyasha! Kagome!"

"Sango!" Kagome hollered back.

Inuyasha screeched to a halt, wincing and hopping from one foot to the other as she set Kagome down. "The pavement's **hot**," he explained. "And what are you doing out here?"

"I was looking for Kagome, but I got caught in something. She looked back up the hill. "Here, I'll show you."

The three of them clambered back up the hill through the grass. "What?" Sango frowned in confusion. "It was here just a moment ago." She shook her head. "Well, nevermind."

"What was it?" Kagome asked curiously, staring down at the houses below.

"There was a lot of grass, nearly as high as my waist, and a path through it. Nothing else, no one else. I thought that the path might've been yours," the demon exterminator admitted and hurried down the hill again.

"Maybe it was." The black-haired girl shrugged. "I don't remember how I ended up at Naraku's fortress."

"What?" Sango stopped in her tracks. "You mean you got taken hostage?" She glanced at Inuyasha. "And he rescued you."

Kagome sighed. "It's a long story…"

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

AN: Question, comments, complaints are all welcome.


	22. Five Sides

ARG! Sorry, I know that it's been **ages**. I have no acceptable excuse. I cannot blame the new Harry Potter book, as I finished it in seven hours. Nor can I blame a regression into Fullmetal Alchemist-based insanity, though it did seriously impair my judgement and levels of reasoning, and continues to do so.

All I can say is that I found this chapter **brutal** to write, and I kept deleting stuff and rewriting and deleting, and then just dreading writing it. Furthermore, it required lots of careful planning and staging. But really, that doesn't cover it. So, again, sorry!

Responses:

**Aeika**: You're absolutely right. I wrote the last page and a half in about five minutes. I really, really wanted to just get that last part out, thus the result. I'll go back and change it some day… some day…

**Auxana**: Thank you! (Clutches Strawberry Pocky) I'll treasure this… Bribes are absolutely wonderful!

**rinsama1989**: Hehe. Inuyasha and Kagome have quite a rocky relationship, don't they? I don't think that I could write something completely centered around them, actually. Pro'ly wouldn't work out… But I'm glad that you like it how it is!

**AkeryouSesshoumarusMate**: Heh… I can't seem to write any ending besides a cliffhanger. (Hangs head in shame) Sorry 'bout that…

**Inu Kaiba**: I did? Sorry… (about the hair thing). I've noticed the same thing; black-ish brown, browner in the sunlight and typically black in darker scenes, the same way Kagome's hair is bluish and Kikyo's containing a purple tint. Thanks for pointing it out. (I seem to make those sorts of mistakes a lot.) Thanks! My shoulder's much better. It was just sore, and I hafta admit, I was being kinda wimpy about it… XD

**Angel 4 life**: Took 'em long enough to make up, didn't it? XD

**SilverontheRose**: Frankly, I'm jealous. Homemade tortillas? Yum! And fajitas aren't half bad, either… I'm glad you like it so much! Hmm… my imagination is a bit of a nomad. A very strange nomad, at that. Honestly, most of my ideas come from puzzling over "what if?" situations.

**Lizz456**: Thank you! I think I'm a bit young to write a book, though… But I heard that some girl in France who's around fifteen or so wrote a book and it was published. That was a couple of years ago. Something with stones on the cover… I had the same thing to me happen with the new installment of Harry Potter: my mother had to drag me from the book. She wasn't too happy about it, but I managed to finish it in a day. (Being the obsessive bookworm that I am). She wasn't very happy about that, either.

**Ardent-Amber**: Glad'ja like it! Yeah… I know, there're **tons** of spelling mistakes, though I **do** use Spell-Check. Sometimes, I think, the machine mistakes one word for another, or it's a typos that spells another word. (i.e. if I mean to say, "the quick brown fox" and I accidentally type, "the quick brown for". Correct spelling, wrong word…)

**Lacey Beans**: Thank you, and I'm really sorry that it's taken me so long to update!

Thanks, all, for reviewing!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. 'Course, you guys all knew that already.

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Haunted

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Chapter Twenty-Two: Five Sides

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Small paws pattered softly on the thick, cream-colored carpet as Shippo paced back and forth, green eyes glinting in the soft halogen light of the hallway. Tail bushy with agitation, the little kitsune uttered a defeated sigh and plopped onto the floor next to Buyo. "Sometimes," he confided to the cat, "I wish the house wasn't so big, and so old…" The estate creaked unhappily, the small unidentifiable noises straining the anxious fox demon's nerves. "What's **taking** him so long?" he burst out at last. "It's been hours and hours. It's can't be **that** hard to find-" He cut off abruptly, emerald eyes huge in his face. The noise came again, the distantly polite sound of knuckles against the front door.

Mulishly, the kitsune bit his bottom lip. "That better be Miroku!" he told the obese cat. "He's left me here by myself long enough." Cautiously, he approached the door. With a few softly-uttered syllables and a small puff of blue fire, Shippo the Pink Bubble floated up towards the peephole in the door. "Who's there?" he barked, voice squeaking, in a feeble attempt to intimidate the strange old man standing on the other side of the door.

Lazily, he scratched his bulging stomach, his red nose gleaming slightly in the dingy orange porch light. He frowned blearily and glanced down a crumpled scrap of paper in one large hand. "Priestess Lane… This 's it, then." Impatiently, he knocked on the door again. "Hey, Miroku! Open the door, you delinquent monk! It's me Mushin!"

Shippo sighed and relaxed slightly. It was the man from the photo. He glanced at Buyo. The large cat stood, swaying on the top of the landing. "What did Miroku say again?" he asked the obese feline. Buyo miaowed loudly in response, a thin nasal sound. "He said to keep him away from the sake, I think… and stay on guard." The kitsune puffed out his chest, his bushy tail flicked slightly.

He stepped forward and swung the door open. The man turned around in surprise, eyes narrowed under bushy eyebrows. "Hello?" His voice echoed uncertainly. "Is anyone there?" He paused, confused, then continued crossly. "Miroku, if this is your idea of a funny joke-"

"Ahem."

The large old man looked down. "Oh." He took in the strange-looking child's small stature- no wonder he hadn't seen him- and the pointed ears, the bushy tail. "Kitsune, are you?" he asked brusquely. "Just the type that Miroku'd hang about with; always tricking people." He paused to remove his weathered straw sandals at the door before stepping inside. "Speaking of which, is he home right now?" His shrewd dark eyes took in the large silent house with surprise. "What a big place."

"No," Shippo replied cautiously. "He's gone. But he'll be back soon, with the others," he added hastily.

"I see. Well then, would you have anything to offer a thirsty traveler? Some sake, perhaps?"

"Miroku told me to keep you away from everything alcoholic," the kitsune replied, green eyes frank. "But we have orange juice, and milk, and stuff." He led the old Buddhist priest into the living room. "I'm gonna get some Cheerios, anyway."

Mushin grimaced. "No thanks." He sat down heavily on the couch as Shippo reappeared in the room, a large box of cereal in one hand. "Are you **sure** he said nothing alcoholic? You see, these travels always alarm me. I always think about the speed, and crashing, and on top of that, I have a bad heart. Reacts with anxiety. The best thing for me to calm me is to have a nice drink. Sake is, you see, clinically proven to reduce the risk of f-heart dizzy –I mean, disease."

Shippo looked down at the cereal box, completely unfazed. "You're just reading off the box." He paused for a moment, green eyes contemplative. He reached deeply into the box, the plastic sealing rustling. "Here." He held out a large handful of cereal. "For your heart, if it's really so bad."

Mushin sighed unhappily and relieved the kitsune of his handful. "It's no the same as sake…" he grumbled. He chewed for a moment, surprise registering in his expression. "Hey, these aren't half bad…"

(•.•)

--( • )--

Hopeless.

Miroku shivered slightly, and fingers that were numb from the wind's icy breath clutched more tightly to Kirara's ruff. He was freezing. With all the goings-on, he'd forgotten to bring a jacket. No matter how warm the evening was, the elevation and the windy flight was bitterly cold.

The ground below was laid out like a great jumbled quilt, neat green squares of varying shades looming off in the darkness to his right, and to the distant left was the jumbled city of Maebashi, visible only because of all the light pollution. The sun was a mere orange sliver on the horizon, vibrant hues of red and purple fading into blue and green as Miroku and Kirara traveled on. And somewhere out there was Sango.

Absolutely hopeless.

Despair was creeping upon him, it's icy fingers lodging tightly in his throat and making his hands fall slack on Kirara's back. An hour and a half ago, he'd rushed out of the house with the ridiculous impression that he'd be able to find the demon exterminator somewhere in this endless expanse of forest and rolling hills, and at night at that. He hadn't even had a plan. But giving up…

He couldn't do that. Numb fingers tightened again around Kirara's long fur, and just in time, too. "Whoa!" Purple eyes went wide with alarm.

The fire cat wheeled around suddenly and rushed towards earth. "I hope that means you've seen someone we know," Miroku quipped as he hung on for dear life. The icy wind whipped the words from his mouth as they rushed towards the earth in a dizzying spiral that left the monk's stomach somewhere above. High above.

"Kirara?" And suddenly Miroku's stomach was the last of his concerns.

"Sango?"

"Miroku? Is that you?"

"Kagome, too?"

"Duh." There was a derisive snort from down below.

"**And** Inuyasha?"

"We were just on our way back," Kagome confirmed. "Sorry if we worried you," she added sheepishly as Kirara landed.

Shakily, Miroku dismounted and attempted to smooth his windswept hair. "Oh, not at all," he replied airily, feeling decidedly foolish. A taunting voice in his head seemed to say, "See? They're all right. Stupid of you to run off like that. They can take care of themselves, without your help, you who left completely unprepared." He grimaced slightly.

Sango's eyes quickly picked up the expression on the monk's face. "Is something wrong, Miroku?" She regarded him for a moment. "Jeez, you must be frozen. Here, take my jacket." The demon exterminator pulled off her sweatshirt and handed it matter-of-factly to him.

"Are you sure it'll fit?" Miroku took the navy blue bundle dubiously as they continued walking, Kagome and Inuyasha talking – or rather, arguing- ahead of them.

"I'm sure it will." Sango glanced at the ground and cleared her throat uncomfortably. Her voice was almost a whisper as she continued. "After all, it fit my father …"

Miroku paused for a moment, purple eyes almost reverent. "Thank you," he murmured, realizing how much the sweatshirt he was now wearing meant to Sango.

The demon exterminator's smile was more of a grimace. "No problem. It's just a sweatshirt, after all…" And even the grimace faded into nothing. "I mean," she amended thoughtfully. "It's still a sweatshirt, even if he's gone now."

Miroku smiled and clapped a hand on Sango's shoulder. "Thank you, regardless."

Suspiciously, Sango regarded the hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him. "What are you plotting?"

"What do you mean?" Purple eyes looked back innocently. "I'm not plotting anything."

"Really?" Sango remained unconvinced. Her voice took on an edge. "Then why, pray tell, is your hand now at my waist?"

The monk hastily removed the offending limb and shoved his hands in the pockets of the sweatshirt.

"Can't you keep your hands to yourself for five minutes?" Sango demanded crossly.

"Oh…" Amethyst eyes widened in sudden revelation.

"'Oh'?" Sango questioned, eyebrows raised in skepticism.

"I left Shippo by himself…"

"A great father you'd make, Miroku." The snide remark came from Inuyasha.

"No I wouldn't," his voice took on a slightly reproachful note.

Sango glanced at him and looked away. "Well, in any case, knowing him he'll have set the whole house on fire by now, thinking Buyo was some sort of monster come to get him."

Kirara mewed in agreement. "**And** I invited my foster father." Miroku looked at Kagome. "I hope you don't mind."

Kagome shrugged. "Why would I?"

"…And I told Shippo to keep him away from anything valuable or alcoholic, just to be on the safe side," the monk added tactfully with a serene smile.

"Are you sure that was necessary?" Kagome looked at him in consternation. "I mean, he's your foster father. Surely he'll be fine, right?"

"Trust me, Kagome. I knew exactly what I was doing."

There was a pause as Kagome digested this information. "Can Kirara carry two of you?" she asked Sango.

"Yup." A bright flash of fire penetrated their dark surroundings for just a moment, and Miroku and Sango were airborne.

Wordlessly, Inuyasha swung Kagome onto his back and they took off down the dark and silent road.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Mushin?"

Frankly, Miroku was astounded when he entered the living room, expecting the worst. He'd thought that they'd see, in the least, one empty sake bottle. Honestly, Miroku would've been happy with only two. It had been a good hour or so since Mushin must've arrived. And yet, there he was, sitting on the couch. His foster father was astoundingly, incredibly….

Sober.

And eating from a large cardboard box of Cheerios.

"Is it really you?" Miroku asked suspiciously, purple eyes narrowing slightly. The others trooped in behind him, confused.

Mushin snorted derisively. "Of course it is, Miroku. Who else could I be? You know," he continued. "For someone who received such good grades in college before you left, you certainly aren't very smart."

Having used up his supply of polite and eloquent answers, the black-haired monk replied frankly; "An imposter. Normally, if left to your own devices, you'd be passed out on the floor with sake bottles all over the floor, with stains on the carpet." He glanced wryly at the cereal box. "Instead, here you are, eating from a box of cold cereal. There are no alcohol stains in sight, in fact I see Cheerios instead." He bent down and picked up one of the pieces. "Shippo's preferred breakfast meal."

Shippo scurried out of the kitchen. "I gave them to him." There was a grin on his face. "It's kept him away from anything alcoholic."

"We don't have much sake anyway," Kagome admitted. She glanced oddly at the old monk, then to the younger one. "Miroku, why'd you have him come, anyway?"

Miroku glanced at his foster father. "Because he has a certain object, and a certain spell that might come in handy."

"Really?" Inuyasha demanded. "What's it do?"

Mushin fumbled with a small pouch concealed in his robes. After a few moments, he reverently held out a shining pink bauble. It twinkled innocently in the artificial light provided by the overhead lamps.

Kagome took a curious step closer. "What is it?"

Miroku looked grave. "It is the Shikon no Tama."

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

"Kagura." Naraku's voice in the wind witch's mind was imperious, commanding. "You have overstepped yourself, yet again. **I will not have you interfering any more.**" A dull headache started to pound in her head. Scarlet eyes narrowed in a pained grimace. "Now, where have you left the sword?"

Frankly, Kagura was surprised that she wasn't dead yet. Her mind was a pounding whirl of shock and pain and panic. Had he known, from the very beginning? Why hadn't he stopped her? What was going to happen now?

Kanna chuckled as Naraku withdrew from Kagura's mind and settled in a much more suitable host. "Your questions are irrelevant. I think you know that answers to all of them, after all."

Despair struck her in the chest like a cannonball. He was going to kill her. She would never be free, for even in death he would enslave her soul.

Naraku chuckled softly, sensing her distress. "Or perhaps you don't. Do you even know what this sword does?"

"You know I don't," Kagura snapped, fury flashing in her scarlet eyes.

"Aren't the signs enough?" Kanna's eyes narrowed in disgust. "What use have **I** for a sword that kills the wielder? Or are you blind to the way it eats magic and sips from life?" The pale girl's head shook slowly from side to side. "No, the sword is not for me. The sword was intended for something previously dead." He sighed. "Unfortunately, with Tsubaki killed by her own greed, he will not be appearing. The sword is now useless."

Kagura relaxed slightly. So she wasn't going to die. At least not yet, which gave her time for one last, desperate plan…

"However," Naraku continued through Kanna, "your futile attempt, while pathetic, was well-meant. Soon I shall have no more use for you, Kagura. Hope that that day never comes, Kagura, because when it does, there is no doubt in my mind that you will be the first to die." The harsh words reverberated off of the cold stone walls of the cave, and Kagura had no doubt in her mind that Naraku was speaking the absolute truth.

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

"So what's it do?" Inuyasha repeated impatiently, mistrustfully eyeing the small pink Tama as it sparkled. For some reason, it was making him uneasy.

Mushin raised an incredulous eyebrow at the hanyou. "You mean that you've never heard of the Shikon Jewel?"

"No. So why dontcha tell us already?" The hanyou raised his own eyebrow in return arm folded impatiently across his chest.

The elderly monk scratched his head. "Well, it's complicated. Lots of myth and legend surrounding this little pink jewel…" He rolled it around on his palm, savoring the words. "Some say that the Shikon no Tama can grant wishes. Other legends tell us that it's cursed. Judging by it's bloody past, I would say that it could be an astute accusation, but-"

"I don't care. Just tell me what it does." Clawed fingers drummed an impatient tattoo on the coffee table.

"That was rude," Shippo accused from his seat on the floor. "My father taught me to respect my elders. It's a pity yours didn't do the same."

"Shut it, Brat," the demi-demon growled. "We don't have much time, you know. I ran into Kagura," he explained when everyone looked at him curiously. "There are only a few days until Naraku plans to free himself."

"Are you sure she's telling the truth?" Sango asked sharply. "She **is** an agent of Naraku, you know. What makes you think that she isn't just playing his games?" Naturally, the demon exterminator was disinclined to believe anything that her family's murderer said.

"It didn't seem like she was lying," Inuyasha grumbled. "And better safe than sorry."

Shippo snorted. "Since when were you worried about **safety**, Inuyasha? You're always rushing recklessly into things headfirst, without thinking twice!" The kitsune earned a large bump on the head for his accurate depiction of the hanyou.

Mushin turned to his rather embarrassed pupil. "Do they always do this?"

Miroku's expression was miraculously solemn. "It's a demon ritual, I believe."

(•.•)

--( • )--

If Naraku had a mouth, it would've been curled in a cold smile. "One would think," he sighed in Kanna's head, "that after waiting five hundred years, one day would be of little importance."

Kanna nodded politely in ascent. The entrapped demon felt a twinge of irritation. The problem with mindless obedient subordinates was that they never had anything to say in response.

The ghostly remnants of Naraku stirred in the urn. That was one of the reasons why he'd kept Kagura alive for so long. Life –if that's what his meager existence could be called- was much less dull when he had to keep an eye on the mutinous wind user.

"Naraku." With a start, the trapped demon realized that his mind was drifting from the task at hand. Quickly, his consciousness flooded Kanna's own. "Hah." The pale girl's voice was filled with Naraku's smugness. "I was expecting something like this." He watched through Kanna's eyes as a motley crew of young adults approached, identical grim expressions on each face. He sighed. "A last, desperate attempt to rid the world of me before I can do the same to them."

He paused. "This should prove… interesting." And perhaps challenging, though he didn't admit it aloud. As much as he hated to admit it, they had a chance of doing their task. Tsubaki had failed to raise his old familiars, Kagura had run off somewhere, and all he had was Kanna and a bunch of purifying sutras.

Quickly, Naraku's agile mind began to form a plan. He allowed Kanna's pale, colorless lips to turn up in a cold smirk. It was going to be close.

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Kagome asked Miroku yet again out of the corner of her mouth. Her balled fist tightened with nervous tension.

"I certainly hope so," Miroku replied quietly, purple eyes steady. His staff jangled, filling the tense silence with the noise.

"Anyway," Inuyasha continued, "it's a bit late to start questioning yourself, isn't it?" He cracked his knuckles. "And I want my sword back."

Sango snorted. "So that what this is about." She hefted Hiraikotsu, sharp brown eyes watchful.

Although he was quivering uncontrollably, Shippo popped his head over Miroku's shoulder. "You're just mad that Naraku made such a fool out of you!"

"Shut it, Brat." Inuyasha cracked his knuckles again, amber eyes narrow. "We should be watching for traps, not yammering about nonexistent grudges."

Abruptly, they all fell silent, Shippo quaking worse than before. Wordlessly, Inuyasha found the large black rock and turned the corner. "There." He pointed down the hole.

"Now, do you all know what you have to do?" Miroku asked quietly. "No questions?" Silence. He heaved a sigh. "Well then, lead on, Inuyasha."

Dubiously, Kagome watched as the hanyou disappeared down the dark tunnel. She took a deep breath and followed him. Part of her mind wondered whether she was committing suicide.

A hand squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and Kagome jumped in surprise. Sango grinned back. "Nerves?" she whispered. The black-haired schoolgirl nodded fervently. "You'll forget about 'em soon enough."

Kagome found Sango's comment far from encouraging.

"Stop." Inuyasha put up a hand. "There's something there…"

A pale figure emerged from the darkness, small hands clutching the silver rim of a mirror. Oddly, Inuyasha noticed, the inside seemed to be glowing. Or was it a trick of the light? He backed away slightly, amber eyes wide with the shock of realization. No, it wasn't his imagination. The light was getting brighter, and something behind the surface was stirring…

"Everyone move back!" he roared, adrenaline pulsing through his veins. "NOW!"

(•.•)

--( • )--

Miles away, sealed safely in a small room kindly leant to him by Kagome, Mushin's tightly closed eyes popped open. He glanced around the room. Everything was set; there was the chalk pentacle, inscribed upon the dark, rough piece of slate. Surrounding the pentacle were violently inscribed kanji, as if someone were trying to break the piece of chalk on the uneven stone. Off to the side, he had five pebbles stacked. And in the center was the Shikon no Tama.

The elderly monk shuddered. He didn't like this kind of spell. It's existence was against his own, and his studies. But of course, that was nature of a Juso of a black priestess.

And, as the saying went, "Fight fire with fire." This curse was the best chance they had of taking Naraku down. There were only a few preparations left to make, and hopefully, Kagome and Miroku were setting them up now as Inuyasha and Sango held Naraku's attention.

A sound from down below brought Mushin's musings to an abrupt halt, ears straining. In the otherwise silent house, it was easy to make out the sound of a child's voice, and a woman's reply. The monk tensed. Was there a break-in?

"Hello?" A young boy's voice echoed through the silence. "Hey, Shippo, we're back! Kagome? Inuyasha?" Rapid footsteps echoed on the steps. "Hellooooooooooo…!"

"Souta!" The woman's voice was reproachful. "I know that you're excited to be home, but not so loudly, please." There was a smile in her voice. A paper bag rustled down below. "Souta, can you help me with these groceries?"

Mushin sighed in relief. Kagome mentioned that her family might return. But he couldn't go down to say hello. His entire focus should be on the pentacle…

There was a loud pop and Mushin whirled on the dark spell. The westernmost point was pulsing with a sickly red color, a shade reminding him of old blood. Quickly, he grabbed a pebbled and placed it carefully over the corner. The smooth black stone pulsed a brighter, orangey-red and steadied into a darker purple-ish glow.

He sighed tremulously, feeling weak-kneed though he was sitting down. Only four more corners to go…

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

Okay, she'd admit that things didn't go half as well as planned. None of them thought that Naraku would know that they would be coming, even though Inuyasha warned them that he might. So seeing Kanna had surprised Kagome.

What surprised her even more was what happened next; something large and obviously wishing them ill burst through the mirror's shining surface, howling as it clawed its way up the tunnel. It was only Inuyasha's quick thinking and an incredible burst of strength that saved the whole operation from total disaster.

"COME ON!" the hanyou bellowed, shoving Kagome, and then Sango, and then Miroku and Shippo up though the tunnel in a disorganized heap of flailing limbs and outraged exclamations.

They burst up to the surface as if propelled by rockets, but was in reality a desperate hanyou.

"What'dja do **that** for?" Shippo stuttered, having not seen the thing erupting from the mirror. "I swear, Inuyasha, you're so paranoid-" The kitsune shut up abruptly, emerald eyes huge in a face paler than Kanna's.

With a wordless snarl, Inuyasha whirled around and leapt at the great lumbering beast, claws at the ready. But it was quicker than he thought.

"Wha-?" The hanyou turned, but not quickly enough. The beast lunged, tongue lolling like some large dog, and claws like daggers scuffed him to the side.

Instantly, Sango took to the air, Hiraikotsu gripped tightly and a grim expression on her face. Miroku pulled a spell out of his sleeve and hurled it forward. Kagome yelped and ran towards Inuyasha.

"Stay back!" he hollered at her. "I'm fine!"

Kagome nodded and bit her lip.

Looking back, the following events became a blur in her mind. It was a mad scramble to kill the demon, whose lightning-fast reflexes made this task nearly impossible. In the end, it was Sango's Hiraikotsu that took off an arm, and Inuyasha got the head.

Panting slightly, the hanyou wiped the thick blood from his hands and onto the grass. The nice meadow was nearly unrecognizable; there was dark, rank blood dripping from the hulking carcass. The grass was torn, gouged both by Hiraikotsu and the dead demon's claws. Strange gurgles emitted from the corpse as it started to shut down forever, filling the silence.

"Come on," Inuyasha said finally. "And this time, let's stay **awake**."

The others followed him wordlessly into the dark tunnel.

(•.•)

--( • )--

Naraku wasn't too disappointed. He hadn't honestly thought that the demon that Kanna summoned would do much that distract them. It had served its purpose.

"They're coming." Kanna's soft, expressionless voice reverberated across the silence. The pale girl sat, tranquil, on the cave floor, small cold fingers tracing characters upon the mirror's reflective surface.

Naraku twisted slightly within his prison, betraying his anxiety. They were coming. A sudden idea took hold in his consciousness, and flooded it. "What if…? Would it work?"

Perhaps, if he played this situation correctly, he wouldn't need to wait two more days to be free.

His thoughts were interrupted by a large boomerang. The weapon whistled through the air and narrowly missed Kanna, who barely moved in time. The pale haired demon girl calmly sat down again, her mirror in her lap. "Well, well, well," she drawled. "I was wondering when you'd show up, miss." Kanna/Naraku smiled at Sango.

"Shut up," the demon exterminator replied tersely. She swung Hiraikotsu in a wide arc.

Deftly, Kanna reflected the weapon with her mirror, and it went spiraling back at Sango. The exterminator only just caught it.

Behind her, a dark-haired monk, his expression grim, emerged from the shadows. "Ah…" he murmured. "It begins to make sense…"

"You…" Kanna spoke with Naraku's inflection. "You look familiar."

The man's purple eyes flickered. "Those who knew my grandfather say that I bear striking resemblance."

The pale girl's mouth curved up in a nasty smile. "Those who knew him were right. Although, his eyes were brown. I remember quite clearly."

"Hey, what's the holdup?" Inuyasha demanded from behind. "This is no time to be **chatting**, Miroku, or have you already forgotten?"

"Of course," the monk replied crisply, eyes as hard and unforgiving as stone. "I don't wish to 'chat' with my grandfather's murderer, anyway." He paused. "But one more question. What did you do with him after he stumbled upon this place?"

"Kanna took his soul. We used his holy powers to destroy the more powerful of my bindings." The pale girl sighed mockingly. "Unfortunately, his body could not last. Tell me, is seeking out one's death a family trait, or is it unique to merely the two of you?"

"No more chatting!" Inuyasha demanded again, an edge to his voice and eyes blazing.

In response, Sango hurled Hiraikotsu again and it spun dizzyingly through the air in a wide arc.

"My, my, my," Kanna chided as the weapon passed her by. She raised her mirror above her head as a huge stalactite shook loose from Hiraikotsu's flight fell from the ceiling. The gargantuan chunk melted into the mirror, the shining surface rippling as if it was made of liquid. "Are we feeling a bit upset?"

He was treating them like insignificant children, Kagome realized. He had yet to truly attack them. The first demon was just to test them. He was toying with them. Smiling grimly, she pulled an arrow from her quiver and put it along the bow, eyes narrowed as she took aim.

It might be playing dirty, but from what she knew of the demon, he didn't deserve anything less. And perhaps, they wouldn't have to carry out the full plan… Hoping fervently, she let the projectile fly.

She blinked. "…Uh….?" Around her, the others were in a similar state of confusion. "Is that normal?" Were arrows **supposed** to destroy all of the spells in the air?

"Whatever it is, it isn't good," Miroku cautioned.

"I think we can all see that, Miroku," Inuyasha replied tersely.

"I knew you were going to do that, priestess. You humans are so **predictable**." As if in proof to the monk's statement, Kanna chuckled good-naturedly. "Thank you. That's what I've been waiting for." The darker of the two urns started to glow a sickening red color, like old blood.

"Well, don't just **stand** there!" Inuyasha howled, shoving forward. "Get in position!"

The others shook of the immense feeling of dread as the room started to darken unnaturally, as if the urn was drawing the light and collecting it. The five of them scrambled forward, Inuyasha exceptionally eagerly.

"Tetsusaiga!" He picked up the sword and stepped forward, eyes burning intensely. This was it… He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, concentrating. Just a little more time…

The urn burst violently in a deadly cloud of poisonous vapors, soft, cold chuckles reverberating off the walls over the tremendous bang. "Free…" Naraku held up one hand curiously. It was so strange to have flesh again!

The vapors cleared slowly as Naraku's laughter faded away. Cold eyes inspected the cave. Gone. Thoughtfully, the reawakened demon bent and picked up a shining silver shard. Kanna's mirror. Not even a demon could survive such intense poison. After all, he'd been saving up for the occasion for over five hundred years.

And that was a considerable amount of poison.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

…

(Sighs) I'm so tired of writing this story.

Him…

I know!

THE END

…naiad.

This chapter ended up being a lot shorter than the others. Oh well.

I imagine that if I ended it here, I wouldn't live out the rest of the summer, so you can expect one more chapter/epilogue thing. Gads, I'm tired though… Whoever said that being an insomniac is fun clearly wasn't one…


	23. Journey's End?

**SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG**! My computer died for a while, and I had to get it fixed, put it's still running really slowly because it gets too hot whenever I use certain programs, and the heat's done something to the circuitry, which is bad.

And of course, I never took suicidal squirrels into account. I was riding my bike home, and I stopped because this squirrel was gonna run across the street. The squirrel just kinda stared at me, so I started off again, and the squirrel took off, **right in front of me**. I was less than an inch (literally) from running it over, 'cause it ran straight in front of my front tyre. I braked and fell on my hands, and it was the one day I decided not to wear gloves. (Sigh)

And then I had to relaunch Finder and I thought everything got deleted… 24 pages of hard work, gone in a few seconds! I had a minor heart attack.

Anyway…

**AAAAAAAARG! **SCHOOL! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

(Sob)

Or "S.O.B." depending on how ya look at it.

Well, I've got an eccentric, sweating-prone, constantly late history teacher, a math teacher more wound up than a tightly-coiled iron bedspring with the energy to match, a Biology teacher who actually has a life, a French teacher who gives out the same exact homework that she gave us last year (she teaches 5/6 and 3/4), a Literature teacher who's spends all class time lecturing on psychology (Literally; no joke.), and my piano teacher seems to think that I have all the time in the world and that I'm merely a lazy swine. (Which is true, but you won't hear me tell her that.)

And a little brother who keeps going through my "off-limits" books like a teething puppy after worn leather shoes.

Looks like this year's gonna be… interesting.

Responses:

**Inu-ears**: Well, it's the last chapter, so… I'll find some way of making it long, I hope. I'm glad the last chapter was okay; I was afraid that I'd made a botch of it.

**Lake of Fire**: Definitely not. (Writing not being fun when forced) But I pulled it out… slowly… Thanks; I'm not really an insomniac, but it does take me forever to fall asleep. Not fun. XD

**Sesshy-chansbestpal**: …Thanks! XD

**Inuyasha's Mustang**: A very very very long time, I **do** feel pretty bad about that, I admit. Yeah, Kanna 's gone. But of course, none of us expect Naraku to care.

**SilverontheRose**: Well, I'm touched. To be honest, I'm just glad to be at the end of the story. I was worried that I might not quite make it through the whole thing. One more chapter to go…!

**Lacey Beans**: Thanks so much for your support on taking my time! It really means a lot to get something like that. Thanks again!

**SeeC**: Well, I hope it wasn't **too** long of a wait. My sched's been a bit busy lately… and then I went on vacation to visit my grandmother, so… PLEASE KEEP KAGOME AWAY FROM ME! XD IT'S NOT MY FAULT!

**kag101**: Eep, indeed. Bu of course, the group couldn't die, could they? I mean, they're the main characters… Wait, Cowboy Beebop comes to mind…. Heh.

**Lizz456**: Yeah… it's gotta end at **some** point. When I first started writing this, I was thinking about ending around here, so I've kinda run outta ideas, too. Sorry!

**Auxana**: Ah! No, not the POCKY! Well, you've convinced me; another chapter, in exchange for the pocky.

**Angel 4 life**: InuKag/ MirSan fluff? For the last chapter, definitely. Don't worry, I would never, **ever** stop writing a story at the second-to-last chapter. That would be… more than evil. Loathsome, despicable, ect. I'm not **that** horrible! XD

**Tiamath**: Well, I **tried** to kill them off, but given that they're all so stubborn and set on survival, they beat me down. (But I'll get them next time…!)

**Inu Kaiba**: Thank you! This chapter might end up being pretty short as well, Maybe when I come back later, I'll combine 'em, or something. (… I would appreciate not being tackled though… XD)

**purple-n-hazie**: Sorry I took so long to update. Hope the wait wasn't **too** long!

**AkeryouSeshoumarusMate**: O.o Fire… It burns! (To be honest, I consider myself pretty lucky, as of now I've yet to receive any flames, despite the fact that my updates have become less than frequent… )

**Ardent-Amber**: Sorry, but it must come to an end; I have no more ideas left for this plot! (And it's a bit late to change the course of things, anyway.)

**f1t1ve**: And now it's… finished! Whew! Glad that ya enjoyed it!

**Superstitious**: "Work experience"? Doesn't sound too fun…

x

Disclaimer: No.

x

Haunted

x

Chapter Twenty-Three: Journey's End

x

He was free.

Yet, even after being cooped up for the last five centuries, he had nothing that he had to do. Inuyasha and his friends had been killed effortlessly, Tsubaki was gone, Kagura he could care less about. It was a pity that Kanna had died upon his release. She had been a useful servant.

He smiled, an odd sensation after being incorporeal for so long. Perhaps he could go on a walk, first, and familiarize himself with the altered landscape, as well as the odd sensation of walking.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

Mushin stared numbly at the board in front of him, disbelief etched clearly in his features. With hands that trembled, the elderly monk began to clumsily dismantle the spell.

Suddenly, the door swung open and a surprised Mrs. Higurashi stared at Mushin. After a few moments of startled silence, the middle-aged woman cleared her throat politely. "Um… What are you doing in my house?"

"Miroku's foster father," Mushin mumbled. "I stopped by to say hi." He didn't feel like explaining himself right now. He was still getting over the shock… "Name's Mushin." He nodded briefly.

Mrs. Higurashi's expression lightened. "Oh! Nice to meet you, Mushin-san. Would you like anything to eat or drink while you wait for him to return?"

"No thank you. Shippo gave me Cheerios."

Mrs. Higurashi glanced at Mushin thoughtfully, then turned away, remarking; "I wonder where they went…"

Mushin sniffed wiped his eyes on his sleeve as she closed the door.

A feeling of dread welled up in the middle-aged woman's stomach as she walked slowly down the carpeted hall.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

As the dust cleared, a thin voice rose above the slow drip of water, from stalactite to the ground below.

"… It worked?"

Kagome sat up dazedly and blinked dust from her eyes. "Guys? Hello?"

Miroku's equally awed voice came from her right. "Hello." What else was there to say?

Shippo giggled. "He didn't even **see** me as I made that circle around him! It was perfect!" He grinned and tugged on Kagome's sleeve. "It was perfect!"

"Yup." Inuyasha stood up on the other side of the circle and brushed off his hakama. "But only because he completely underestimated us."

"You're right," Sango admitted grudgingly as she swung Hiraikotsu over her shoulder. "If it had actually come down to a fight, I think that things would've been different."

"Jeez, you two!" Kagome laughed light-headedly, exhilaration setting in. "Can't you be a little more optimistic?"

Sango smiled quickly. "It's just," she admitted, "for all this time, I've been thinking about revenge. But, I realized that it's really pretty hollow. It won't change anything that has already happened."

"You can't bring the dead back," Inuyasha murmured softly, solemn amber eyes fixed on the white urn in the centre.

Miroku rested a hand on Sango's shoulder. "But we've done the next best thing; condemned the killer, and brought about justice. That's worth something, isn't it?"

Sango's smile sweetened slightly. "Thank you for saying so." The smile quickly became a frown. "And get your hand off me."

"I'm sorry, Sango," Kagome added quickly. "I didn't mean to be insensitive or anything."

The demon exterminator waved away the apology. "It's nothing. But we should probably head back now, shouldn't we?"

"Mushin has probably decided to celebrate by drinking something alcoholic by now," Miroku told the others with a dark look.

"Whoa!" Shippo's tail went bushy as he pointed at the pale urn that was still standing.

A sickly red plume of smoke was issuing from the inside and pouring down the side. Through the thick, cloying stuff, five alarmed pairs of eyes could make out a small, glowing red sigil on the side.

"I suggest we leave. Quickly." Miroku rushed to the exit, with the others not far behind him.

"Faster!" Inuyasha roared from the back shoving them all forward impatiently.

Miroku shot out of the tunnel, propelled by the sheer force behind Inuyasha's push. Sango stumbled out after, followed by a bemused Kagome. Lastly, the hanyou himself emerged, urging them all to keep going.

"But Inuyasha," Kagome protested as they continued down the hill. "What's going o-"

There was a muffled whump from behind them as the subterranean cave collapsed, and a great plume of the red smoke exhumed from the exit. The earth around it sizzled, and grass withered upon contact.

"…oh."

Miroku frowned as he thought, purple eyes locked on the large, charred indent in the ground where the hill had once been. "I'm assuming that the explosion was an after-effect of the spell." He turned to Inuyasha. "You said that Naraku was a hanyou, correct."

Inuyasha nodded.

"The two urns… I'd bet anything that they were holding his demon half in one, and the human half in another, because a different spell is used to trap a human than the one for demons." He was speaking quickly now as his mind raced. "So Kikyo would have to split Naraku into his human and demon counterparts in order to properly seal him. But it didn't work **completely** because the spells she used are supposed to hold a **whole, not a half**. But the halves weren't completely split; that's how Naraku managed to bring his mind out of the urn. He wasn't fully contained in either urn, as he should've been." Miroku glanced again at Inuyasha. "I'm guessing that that's how you became a poltergeist- by being hanyou, just the spell for demon didn't work on you, so your spirit escaped."

"What are you getting at, Miroku?" Sango asked, frowning.

"When we sealed Naraku's demon half in the Jewel, they must've split completely. And since one half cannot exist without the other, the urn with the human half blew up. The other half should've blown up, too, which means that the Shikon no Tama has probably blown up-"

"Which means that Mushin is either dead or wounded, or got away somehow, and that my house is probably on fire," Kagome concluded.

"I think that it's **definitely** time to go back," Shippo said.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

Mushin was very lucky.

It was only a very faint pulse that emitted from the Shikon no Tama, and if he hadn't noticed it, and if he hadn't come to the same conclusion as Miroku minutes before, he'd probably be dead.

Of course, throwing it out the window hadn't been the smartest thing to do. Especially with Mrs. Higurashi gardening down below.

"Look out!" he hollered.

The middle-aged woman looked up, confused. "What?" She wiped sweat from her brown and picked up the Tama, which was now pulsing red.

"It's gonna explode! Throw it away!"

Startled and even more confused –why was Miroku's foster father throwing explosives at her?- she hastily obeyed, hurling the mottled brown-and-red sphere far away, towards the opposite side of the house. "Oh!"

Mrs. Higurashi clapped her hands over her mouth in horror. "SOUTA!"

The boy turned the corner, Buyo under one arm. "What?"

Just in time.

The Shikon no Tama exploded in a roaring nimbus of pink light and reddish smoke, taking a fourth of the house with it.

Somewhere in the distance, one of the neighbors shouted in alarm. A startled flock of birds took to the sky, trilling and tweeting in alarm as a great plume of ash-grey smoke rose in the sky. A small portion of the house that was once the library was on fire.

"Mom?" Souta stumbled forward, completely stunned. "What was that?"

"A small, pink thing." She looked up to Mushin. "Would you please explain what happened?"

"Ask Miroku to explain it to you, when he gets back." The elderly monk shook his head, tired. "Do you mind if I go lay down somewhere?"

"Go ahead," Mrs. Higurashi replied faintly. "Souta, would you please call the fire department and tell them that it's an emergency?"

Souta dropped Buyo and took off running.

"Well." The middle-aged woman stood up and dusted off her hands. "I think I need a cup of coffee." She turned to corner and stopped in surprise. "Welcome back." She smiled at the disheveled group of young people.

Kagome was looking anxious and dusty, and Inuyasha was gasping for breath. Kirara was circling lower in the sky, an anxious demon exterminator and monk on her back.

"Is everyone alright?" Kagome asked her mother insistently. "Is anyone hurt, or… dead? Have you seen Mushin?"

Her mother smiled. "He's fine." She frowned slightly at her daughter. "Kagome, what's been going on? Are **you** okay? What happened while I was gone?"

Kirara landed in a cloud of dust. "It's a long story," Miroku told her with a wry grimace. "Would you like to hear it after we've all cleaned up?"

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"…and that's when the Shikon no Tama exploded," Kagome concluded rather sheepishly.

"I see." Mrs. Higurashi nodded solemnly as she stood up. "That's quite a story. I'm very proud of all of you." She gazed warmly at all five of them in turn.

Mushin sniffed loudly from his seat on the couch and wiped his nose on a tissue, apparently overwhelmed.

"It's still a bit unreal," Sango admitted with a small smile. It was a bittersweet ending; now that it was all over, she had time to properly mourn, time to really think about all that had happened. It all hit her like a ton of bricks, and she realized that revenge really wasn't at all satisfying. It was a hollow victory for all the hard work that she put in.

"Oh, Souta!" Mrs. Higurashi called after her son. "Remember what the fireman said!"

"You mean **this** hallway is unstable, too?" the boy demanded. He sighed and sat down on the couch. "It's a good thing that the part of the house that fireman said was unstable isn't anything crucial, like our rooms or the kitchen."

"Yeah." Kagome turned to her mother. "Did you call the construction workers? The guys who were fixing our house?"

"We're quite lucky," the older woman replied. "They're a few weeks ahead of schedule. The contractor said that they were just finishing up the kitchen. A few more days and we could stay at your aunt's again for a week, and then it'd be done."

"So I should pack!" Souta grinned enthusiastically. "C'mon Shippo! I'll tell ya about our house, 'cause you can stay with us when we go back!" The two of the scrambled off excitedly.

Mrs. Higurashi smiled at Kagome. "You might want to, too, dear."

Kagome grinned back. "Good idea. It'll take me a while to get all my stuff, of course." She hurried up the stairs after them.

Only Inuyasha, with his sharp ears, caught her gleeful "Tokyo!"

He felt like she'd punched him in the stomach.

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

Mrs. Higurashi straightened with a sigh, her gaze soft and slightly regretful as she inspected the plethora of neat cardboard boxes stacked throughout the kitchen. Hastily scrawled in black marker, labels marked the contents of each box; plates, cups, pots and pans…

But there was one thing that she couldn't pack away and label, no matter how much she wanted to try. The middle-aged woman shook her head. "He has to work this out on his own," she told the stacks firmly.

For the past few days –since they'd decided to leave- a certain white-haired, dog-eared hanyou had been wandering aimlessly through the house, his amber eyes dim and apathetic.

It was horrible to watch.

She could see him visibly reverting to the indifferent, drained poltergeist they'd first encountered. Mrs. Higurashi wasn't sure, but every now and again she thought that he'd seemed slightly… grey.

And there were times when she would've sworn that she could see the light through him. But that was ridiculous, wasn't it? No, he was flesh and blood now. It had to be a trick of the light.

But all the same…

Sharp brown eyes watched sympathetically as he drifted by again, his eyes thousands of miles away.

A clawed hand rested on the back of the couch as amber eyes stared out onto the distant horizon. Was it just him, or was the couch kinda… not there? He looked down at his hand. It was like touching it through a skintight rubber glove. With a shrug- he had more urgent and puzzling matters to attend to- his eyes returned to the horizon, and his mind back to a familiar train of thought.

It was funny, because every time before now when he'd wanted something, he'd just reach out and grab it. It was that simple. But now, it was so much more than that… this was so much more important to him. What if she refused? He couldn't bear that. What if she laughed? It'd tear his fragile, flesh-and-blood heart out.

This second chance. It was a gift, one he'd only received because of **her**. She woke him up- by accident, he reminded himself sourly- and followed him around –because she was bored, that bitter voice added- and brought him back to life. There was no pessimistic retort for that one, only a question;

Why?

Was it her overwhelming sense of compassion for every living being –from butterflies, to that bird that flew into the window and broke its wing, to Buyo?

Of course not. She'd made her feelings pretty clear, hadn't she? But when he'd spent several lifetimes reliving a betrayal, of getting by purely on his own. Trust had killed him. It could happen again.

How?

How had he become so ridiculously sentimental and soft? It was embarrassing. Really, why was he so, so caught up it this whole thing?

He shook his head wearily and ran one hand through his hair.

"Just tell her."

Inuyasha flinched and whirled. "Where the hell did you pop out from?"

Miroku shook his head, a wry smile curving his lips. "Sometimes, I don't think that your 'superior hearing' is really so much better than ours." He chuckled quietly, then stared out at the horizon with the hanyou. "Why **don't** you just tell her?"

"Tell who what?" Inuyasha asked in surprise.

"Don't play stupid." Shippo's green eyes glared stubbornly at him. "Oh wait, you don't hafta **play** stupid, do you?"

Inuyasha's fist came down half-heartedly upon the kitsune's head and he shrugged. "Bug off."

Miroku sighed resignedly. "If you insist." He turned and started to walk out. More quietly, he added, "You're running out of time. If you don't do anything, you'll regret it."

"Hah. I already have more regrets than I can count, thank you."

Miroku turned, purple eyes as cold and hard as flint. "Stop trying so hard; the cool, tortured attitude doesn't suit you." His expression softened into a small grin. "And hearing you say 'thank you' is kinda alarming, too."

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

"All done!" She shut the bottom drawer of her dresser with finality and inspected the room, the cheerfulness fading from her face. "It looks so… empty…"

The walls were almost painfully bare and white, stark and harsh against the pale carpet and the rolled-up futon that she'd been sleeping on the past few days.

At first, she'd been exuberant to go back. Although she'd never admitted it, she was homesick. It was like a gnawing pain in her chest that never went away, whenever she thought of the old shrine. She missed the way the second-to-last stair creaked slightly, and the way that the tap would get cold whenever someone was running hot water in the bathroom. She missed seeing the leaves fall from the Go-Shinboku and waking up late on Sunday morning, and seeing Grandpa sweeping them up outside. She missed Tokyo and the constant drone of cars as they drove past her bedroom at night.

But this was even worse.

The indecision nagged at her constantly, and part of her wanted to rip open the nice, neat boxes that she'd painstakingly packed over the past days and put all her stuff back. But she knew that that wouldn't help. It'd only make things worse when the time came.

"When the time comes…" she repeated slowly. She sat down on the floor, her back pressed against the wall. Two days. Two more days, and then she'd say goodbye to Sango and Miroku and… and Inuyasha.

"I don't know…" Could she do it? They were all so close, as dear as her family. It'd be like leaving home all over again, but something told her that it'd be so much worse.

And besides, was it really so bad, living here? It was a **good** thing that the taps didn't leak and that the stairs didn't creak. And there were trees everywhere that would were losing their leaves, just like the Go-shinboku.

She leaned back and banged her head against the wall. There it was again. Two sides, conflicting, arguing constantly in her head no matter what she was doing or thinking about. It was driving her insane. An agonizing game of mental tug-of-war.

"If he wants to, he should come forward about it. Inuyasha knows that he's welcome." Didn't he? She'd made subtle references whenever the topic came up.

_"And the skyscrapers just go straight up! You'll see. It's pretty incredible-"_

_"…I think you'd like it there, Inuyasha. But your nose is really sensitive, so the smell might take a while to get used to. And the sound. It's not as quiet as it is here, because cars are always going by, and people live really close by. But still, I think…" _

How could he **not** get the hint? Or did he not want to?

What was worse was that Inuyasha hadn't spoke to her in days. And she just… couldn't find the words. They were leaving, yes. Leaving him all alone, deserting him after bringing him back. It was clear as crystal, this dilemma. She wanted him to come. Space wasn't an issue.

But what about the city?

It was completely alien to him. Sure, he'd gotten used to cars and dishwashers and vaccums, but what about the endless drone of traffic and the tall buildings that seemed to squeeze you in on all sides. What about all the people, the close quarters, and a constant disguise? And the smell? With a nose a sensitive as his own, it might be unbearable.

And would he even consider it, with all that in mind?

And what if he just decided without thinking?

Would he end up hating her for bringing him to a disturbing, stressful environment that he couldn't stand?

**She'd** be the one who wouldn't be able to stand that.

All of these dilemmas and emotions swirled through her mind in a hazy and jumbled train of thought, half-completed ideas forming endlessly and dissolving in her mind. It was giving her a pounding headache.

Kagome rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. "Is this what it feels like to go insane?" she wondered aloud. The only sound was the quiet whir of the fan above her head as it turned around and around endlessly.

Two days.

(•.•)

--( • )--

Dinner was a tense affair.

"Look," Mrs. Higurashi blushed in embarrassment. "I know that- as a manager- I did a pretty awful job-"

"I'll say," Sango interjected with a friendly smile. "In the end, you wouldn't accept my money, you washed all of our clothes for us, made us our meals, and let us fight with dangerous weapons in your house. When we broke things, you didn't charge us."

"You treated us as guests, not renters," Miroku summarized. He smiled serenely. "Thank you."

Mrs. Higurashi laughed. "As I was saying, if you wanted to come with us back to Tokyo and stay there, you're more than welcome to. But this time," she added," I'm cracking down on the chores."

"Not the money?" Miroku asked with raised eyebrows, food forgotten.

She shook her head fervently. "No, no. I can't even imagine- Well, you're more like family now than anything else. Having a rental fee would be very strange."

Miroku smiled. "Thank you for your generous offer. However, I would be a freeloader if I did so, even **with** chores." In fact, he found the prospect slightly… demeaning. "I've wanted to go back to Tokyo for some time now, so I'll accept a ride back, if you're offering one."

"I'd be delighted."

Kagome also seemed cheered by the prospect. "What about you, Sango?" For a moment, the multitudes of chaotic thoughts were far from her mind.

"I'd like to go, too. For the ride, I mean. I have some relatives in Tokyo, and I was thinking of visiting. They were close to my father." She shrugged matter-of-factly. "I'd rather break the news personally, if they haven't already gotten it."

"We were thinking of renting an apartment together." Miroku smiled calmly when Sango punched him in the arm.

Mrs. Higurashi turned to Inuyasha. "What about you?" she asked delicately.

On the other side of the table, Kagome's chopstick froze millimeters above a piece of carrot.

Inuyasha shrugged. "I can't leave the urn for too long, remember?" He was stuck here, and he'd be alone again once they'd left. He should've realize by now that the one thing constant in life was change. People came and left, smiled and frown, laughed and cried.

Kagome's thought began rushing at high speed. Did that mean that he didn't want to come? Was he making an excuse so that he wouldn't be hurting anyone's feelings? Or was it because it was true?

The chopsticks fell from her numb fingers and clattered on her plate. "I'm not hungry anymore," she mumbled, picking up the plate and rushing into the kitchen.

Her feet felt heavy as she dragged herself up the stairs, like leaden weights. Without really thinking about it, she changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth and collapsed on the futon, brown eyes staring, stricken, at the ceiling fan as it revolved slowly, around and around and around…

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

He should be used to it by now.

But at the same time… why was it always **him**? Miroku thought as he eyed the kitchen sink in dismay. "Can't anyone else wash the dishes? Just this once?" he grumbled as he resignedly pushed up his sleeves.

Sango sauntered in, a plate in one hand and a grin curving her mouth. "Here's another one for ya." She set it down and turned around. "Have fun."

"You know," Miroku said abruptly, voice serious, "I wasn't kidding about the apartment." He kept his eyes on the dishes, but he knew that Sango had stopped in her tracks. Now, she was either going to turn around and whack him in the head, or…

… open a drawer and shuffle through it? "Sango?" The hot water continued to run over his hands, but he didn't even notice it anymore.

Face flushed slightly in embarrassment, she pulled a piece of paper out of the drawer and a pencil from the countertop. She didn't reply, but merely scrawled something hastily across the scrap of paper and handed it to him. "I'm going to be staying at my Aunt and Uncle's house for a while. There's an apartment for lease near there, if I remember correctly. Stop by sometime, okay?"

"And if there isn't?" Miroku asked dumbly. In the background, the water continued to flow.

"Then call me." She turned and hurried out of the room, face burning. _Something tells me that encouraging him isn't a good idea_...

But all the same… "She didn't say 'no'." Miroku smiled slightly. What's more, she practically told him that she was open to pursuing a relationship.

He turned back to the sink. "What're a few dishes, anyway?"

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

Despite the torrents of thoughts that had been tormenting her for the past five days, Kagome woke up with one thought clear in her mind:

"I'm leaving today."

Maybe it was because she wasn't really awake, or perhaps she'd finally accepted it, but the thought didn't bring any emotional reaction with it. At the moment, Kagome hadn't decided whether that was a good or bad thing.

She rolled off the futon and stared blearily at the boxes towering above her. It was funny, but from down here they rose up into the sky like the skyscrapers of Tokyo. It was almost nostalgic.

There was a quiet rap on the door. "Kagome! Wake up, dear! We're leaving in a few hours!"

The schoolgirl sat bolt upright and struggled with a clinging sheet. "That's it," she grumbled as she raked a brush through her hair and stuffed her pajamas into a box, donning in their place her school uniform. "I'm gonna ask him." But she was so afraid that he'd say no…

She had almost reached the door when it was flung open by none other than Inuyasha.

"Whoa!" She placed a hand over her pounding heart. "Don't do that! You scared me."

Inuyasha didn't respond. His lower lip jutted stubbornly as he stood in the doorway.

"Uh…" Kagome shuffled to the side. "Can I get by? I need to eat breakfast-"

"Shut up." The hanyou's arms were folded stubbornly across his chest.

Kagome temper rose. "What are you **doing**?" she demanded, hands on hips as she glared.

"You're really selfish, you know that?" Inuyasha retorted. "All you ever think about is yourself, and you think you can just wander wherever you want and people'll be all nice and do everything for you! And then you move on without any thanks or-"

"Why should I say 'thank you' to you?" Kagome's foot was tapping on the carpeted floor.

"Because I saved your life!" the hanyou's voice rose in agitation. "You owe me!" He poked a clawed finger in her face.

"I could say the same to you! It's because of **me** that you're solid! **You** owe **me**, not the other way around, idiot!"

"Idiot yourself! I woulda been fine without your life force thing! You were doing yourself a favor! I wouldn't have been able to save you if I hadn't been solid, stupid! You owe me a fav-"

"No I don't! You're just looking for an excuse! It was because of you that I got involved in the first place, jerk! You know, I can't **stand** you some-" she stopped when he looked away.

What was that?

Kagome's voice dropped to a whisper. "Inuyasha, I can see **through** you…" What happened?

"Quit changing the subject!" the hanyou snapped. "You owe me, and I **will** be repaid!"

"You owme **me**!" Kagome shouted back. "And I'm asking you-"

"Well, I'm asking **you**-" Inuyasha interrupted, amber eyes glinting in the shadowed doorway.

"Come-"

"Stay-"

"-with me!"

Miroku, Sango and Shippo quietly backed away from the staircase where they'd been listening, identical grins on each of their faces.

After all, the two of them deserved a **little** privacy-

"Miroku!" Sango hissed, brown eyes glinting dangerously. "Get down here!"

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"Inuyasha!"

Amber eyes turned earthward. Kagome was standing beneath the Go-Shinboku, a smile curving her mouth as her hand waved.

"Come down! It's lunch!"

"Gimme a moment, will ya?" The hanyou looked skywards again as the emerald leaves of the ancient tree fluttered in the wind. White ears twitched as car horns blared somewhere below, and Inuyasha grinned smugly.

So it'd taken a few weeks. At least he wasn't jumping at the slightest noise anymore, and his nose was accustomed to the smell of the city. It wasn't a nice smell-the first few days were unbearable- but he was getting used to it.

He was getting used to a lot of things, like Kagome's friends, cars and busses, and building so tall that they seemed to go on for eternity. And being stuck, surrounded completely by people.

"Inuyasha!"

"I said gimme a sec!"

Kagome didn't reply, and Inuyasha fingered the beads around his neck.

_Miroku frowned as he watched Kagome carry Inuyasha's urn into the car_.

"_Why are you taking that with you, Kagome_?"

"_Oh. You mean you never saw Inuyasha's urn_?" _With the utmost care, she place the ancient object in a box filled with newspaper_.

"_No, I've seen it. But why are you bringing it along_?"

"_Quit acting stupid, Miroku_ ." _Inuyasha shot the monk an irritated glance_. "_Or do you wanna leave me behind_?"

_The monk was unruffled_. "_I wasn't implying that at all. But you don't need it anymore. Not since the last fight with the demon Naraku summoned_."

_The others stared at him, agape_. _Inuyasha in particular looked shocked_. "_Why didn't you tell me this **sooner**, Miroku_?" _he demanded, ears twitching in irritation_.

"_And how_?" _Sango questioned as she placed a heavy box filled with her belongings in the trunk of the car_.

_Miroku rubbed his head gingerly, where Inuyasha had just hit him_. "_I wasn't sure until a few days ago_. _I noticed you were slightly transparent_. _How, when Kagome had infused you with her so-called 'life force_'?"

_Kagome sighed heavily_. "_I think you're going to hafta explain this from the beginning, Miroku_."

_Miroku smiled slightly_. "_I was hoping someone would say that_."

"… damn monk." It would've saved him a lot of trouble if Miroku had just told him in the first place.

"What's wrong with Miroku?"

"Gah!" Inuyasha nearly fell out of the tree as Kagome continued to scale it. "Don't **do** that!"

"Well, maybe you should pay better attention to your surroundings," the schoolgirl retorted. She shut her mouth and concentrated on making it to the next branch. Huffing, she pulled herself up and settled on the large branch.

"If you fall out down, it's not my fault," Inuyasha warned her.

"But you'll catch me anyway, won't you?" Kagome smiled at him and plucked a swaying leaf from the tree.

"I'll try," he admitted grudgingly, staring hard at the sky above through a gap in the foliage. "Hey, Kagome," the hanyou asked abruptly.

"Yeah?" She continued to twirl the leaf in her hand.

"Do you miss Kouga?"

Kagome laughed. "Of course not! Why would I be?"

Inuyasha relaxed slightly. "Good. He got on my nerves, with all his whining. I wouldn't wanna see him turning up around here."

"We've been sending eachother emails, after all!" the schoolgirl finished carelessly.

Inuyasha spun. "What's an 'email' again?" He knew that it had something to do with the strange machine in the living room that made funny noises, but other than that…

"It's like writing a letter to someone, except you do it on a computer," Kagome explained rather impatiently. "Just talking, you know."

"Hmph."

They sat in silence for a while, and the wind whispered softly through the tree as the cars below droned on. It was Kagome who eventually cleared her throat and asked, "What're you thinking about?"

Inuyasha shrugged vaguely. "Just what Miroku said. About the urn."

Kagome nodded, recalling the interesting account that Miroku regaled during the long car ride "home".

"_So tell us already_!" _Shippo demanded impatiently, squirming in his seat to get comfortable. The car seats weren't exactly designed to accommodate persons with bushy tails, after all_.

_Miroku smiled benignly_. "_Patience, Shippo. I'm getting there_." _He sighed and leaned back in his seat, completely ignoring the others' impatience_. "_Ah, Tokyo. Pretty girls –though none as pretty as **you**, Sango- ow! That was a complement_!"

"_Just get on with it_!" _Inuyasha snapped, his mind on the urn in the back of the car_.

_Miroku sighed again_. "_You suck the joy out of life, Inuyasha_."

_Kagome cleared her throat impatiently, and Miroku hastily began_. "_I noticed something odd fairly early_," _he admitted, staring out of the window as he spoke_. _The telephone poles whizzed by as he continued_. "_You were able to leave the urn's radius_. _I didn't understand it_. _If Kagome had put her life force into you, all it would've done is made you solid, you see_? _All normal limitations would've applied all the same_. _In the end, I just assumed it had to do with Kagome's… **unique** way of going about things_.

"_Of course, I didn't know anything about the spell in the first place, so perhaps simply being solid changed things. I wasn't sure. Remember what I said, about Naraku's entrapment? He had to be split in two, because he was hanyou." Miroku turned in his seat_.

"_Well, what about **you**, Inuyasha_?"

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"I dunno if **I** would've been able to come up with all that," Kagome admitted, tucking a long strand of black hair behind her ear. "I guess when Miroku's mind is on something besides women, he's actually pretty smart."

"Huh." Inuyasha sat back in the tree, the bark rough against the back of his head and neck. "Too bad. He thinks about perverted stuff too much to actually be useful." But all the same, he missed their company; Sango, Miroku, Shippo… but not Kouga. And not Kagura, or Naraku. "But you're right," Inuyasha admitted grudgingly. "He's not completely stupid."

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

_The others blinked at him, confused_.

"_Whaddaya mean?" Inuyasha ventured_, _ears twitching_.

_Miroku looked disappointed_. "_So, like Naraku, you weren't completely contained." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Do I have to spell it out for you_?"

"_For Inuyasha, yes_," _Shippo quipped_. "_Ow_!"

_In the front seat of the car, Miroku slumped back into his seat with a resigned sigh as Shippo and Inuyasha began to bicker, Kagome's voice rising in defense of Shippo_.

_Mrs. Higurashi smiled quickly at him, keeping her eyes on the endless stretch road ahead as it wove away into the distance. "I'm listening, Miroku, go ahead_."

_He cleared his throat and the others quieted. "As I was saying, Inuyasha, you were never a poltergeist. To be honest, I'm not even sure if you were ever truly sealed away. I've never heard of a spell that turned one into a poltergeist. I'd assumed that it was an old spell that had been quietly buried by time_.

"_I think, now, that there isn't. I asked Mushin. He'd never seen such a thing, either. No, I think what happened was much more complicated than that. You got caught in Kikyo's spells. They was meant for Naraku alone. Even an immensely powerful priestess couldn't cast four spells at once. Perhaps three, but it would ultimately kill her, which is what happened. The first spell would separate Naraku's demon side from his human side. The second was to seal his demon half. Her third sealed his human side. I suppose the strain was too much, and it killed her_.

"_If I'm correct, then you got caught in the aftereffects all three of her spells. The first two would be the sealing spells, then the separating one. But that would be in the wrong order. The sealing spells are meant to work on only a human, or only a demon. It sealed away your body, but badly because those spells are incompatible. Then, the separation spell pulled your soul from your body and left you incorporeal_.

"_Now, you're all probably wondering how I figured this ou_-"

"_Whoa_!"

" _Then what exactly were you, Inuyasha_?"

" _I dunno. Why are you asking me, Shippo? Hey, quit poking me_!"

" _I'm just checki-! Ow! You didn't hafta **hit** me_!"

" _Inuyasha! Stoppit_!"

" _Yeah, I'm just a poor little kid_!"

" _Why do you always take **his** side, Kagome_?"

" _'Cause I'm a poor little kid_!"

" _I wasn't askin' you, stupid_!"

" _Ow! Kagome, he won't stop hitting me_!"

" _Inuyasha, stoppit! I'm serious_!"

_Mrs. Higurashi laughed gently. "I'm still listening, Miroku_."

" _That makes one of you," the monk replied gloomily, purple eyes staring out the window_.

(•.•)

--( • )--

"Sango?"

A kind and wizened face peeked around the corner into her bedroom. "Your friend with the purple eyes is here again." There was a knowing twinkle in her watery brown eyes.

Sango smiled at her elderly aunt. "Thanks. I'll be right there." Her eyes softened as she looked at the small shrine that she'd set up for her father and brother. On her nightstand, an old picture of the three of them, laughing, stood reflecting the sunlight that shone through her open window.

She folded the last of her laudry and tucked it neatly in the dresser before following her aunt downstairs.

Miroku smiled up at her as she came down the staircase, purple eyes alight with genuine affection. "Sango! You've grown even lovelier since I last set my eyes upon your-"

"Stuff it," Sango retorted, red in front of her aunt.

"Anything for you, my dear. Don't worry," Miroku told the elderly woman, "I'll have your neice back in one piece before eleven. That's a promise."

Sango's aunt smiled benevolently back. "Don't worry about that. I know Sango can take care of herself. Just have a good time, you two!"

"Thank you." Miroku bent in a slight, formal bow.

"Of course."

Still blushing at Miroku's behavior, Sango hurriedly slid into her shoes and waved to her aunt. "Bye!" She closed the door behind her and turned on Miroku. "What were you **doing**?" she demanded, half laughing.

"Saying hello to your aunt," Miroku replied sincerely. "I want to make a good impression, as I'll be seeing a lot more of her."

Sango sobered. "Why do you keep saying that?" she asked softly, her eyes on the pavement beneath her feet. The bright streetlights lit up the dusk and cast distorted shadows across her shoes.

"Because I mean it," he replied sincerely, purple eyes focused intently upon her.

The demon exterminator looked up at him, her expression pained. "Do you really? How many other girls have you said that to?"

Miroku shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. "Only two. Once I was drunk, and the other time I was turned down for someone with dog ears." He shook his head wearily.

Sango's jaw dropped. "You said that to **Kagome**? I'm surprised that you're still alive. I thought that Inuyasha would kill you."

"He tried, but it was a few months ago, before he could've. Thank goodness." Miroku glanced at Sango out of the corner of his eye. "But this time, I think I've told the right person."

Frantically, Sango glanced down at her watch. Her face felt like it was on fire. "Oh! We're late! The movie starts in half an hour!" _I hope you have, too_...

Miroku was confused. "But that means we've got plenty of ti–hey, wait! Sango, slow down!"

(\ /)

(•. •)

( )

"_So how'd you figure it out?" Shippo asked after the hubbub subsided. Emerald eyes widened. "You didn't **guess**, did you_?"

_Miroku shook his head. "Of course not. You offend me, Shippo. It required a great deal of thought. As I was saying, I noticed that when he was corporeal, Inuyasha could leave the urn's radius. Was the spell broken? Not quite. Inuyasha, your aura was still clouded by something. At first, I thought it was Kagome's life force, but when Kagome was able to restore her own form to original and there was no trace of spell left, I didn't know what to think. Her aura was slightly distorted by the spell-thing, but it's nearly worn off now, meaning that Kagome's strange 'spell' simply expelled something from her body. Remember that strange light_?

"_Kagome did not give you her life force to you, Inuyasha." Miroku paused, and then admitted, "I'm not actually sure what happened there, but I think she altered the spell on you. She weakened it by absorbing some of the effects herself, I think_."

"_I figured it out when I noticed that I could see through you, Inuyasha, after the fight. You became transparent for a few days. But after Kagome and you had that argument, you were completely solid, and your aura was that of a normal person_."

"_Wait a moment." Kagome's face was flushed with embarrassment. "You mean you were there?" She glared at him. "That's really low, Miroku. I thought that even **you** had more ethics than that_."

"_Well, what about the time he peeked at Sango when she was taking a shower?" Shippo asked innocently_.

"_I remember that," Sango remarked blandly as Miroku shuddered. "There's still a small scar where my fist hit his teeth. And my hairbrush is still dented from his thick skull_."

_Miroku sighed. "It was worth every bit of pain you inflicted upon me_."

"_Anyway," Inuyasha said, looking pointedly to the monk_.

" _After that, your aura was normal. You broke free from the urn completely. But Kagome, you've still got that weird aura. I don't know what to make of it_."

_Kagome smiled uneasily. "There's nothing wrong, though_?"

_Miroku shrugged. "Well, if you feel fine, I guess. It probably won't make a difference." He turned in seat again to look at Inuyasha. "Well, congratulations, Inuyasha. You're free_."

(\ /)

(0.0)

( )

Recalling the conversation, Kagome asked, "Is there anything that you really wanna do, Inuyasha? I mean, now that you're free."

The hanyou shrugged carelessly and stared below. Souta was looking for him. "Not really," he replied. "I'm not going anywhere, if that's what you mean."

Kagome sat back contentedly. "Good."

"But…" he ventured, watching in slight amusement as Souta wandered across the courtyard, looking lost, "what's the school thing about? Why do you do it?"

Kagome was surprised that he'd asked. She wasn't sure how to respond. "Well," she began uncertainly, "kids go there to learn. Like math, literature, English –but Eri's taking French privately through a tutor- and sports. You get graded on how good you are at those things."

"Oh." And why would Kagome want to spend her day there? He didn't like math; the symbols confused them, and they didn't seem to be in Japanese most of the time, either. He was a pretty good reader, though, and he'd never heard anyone speak "English"… But at the same time, Kagome was there… Almost shyly, he asked, "Do you think I could try?"

Kagome stared at him, completely taken aback.

"What's with that expression?" Inuyasha demanded. "If you think it's a bad idea, just say so. I don't really wanna go in the first place. It sounds really-"

"That's not what I meant!" Kagome assured him hastily. "You just surprised me." She bit her lip as she thought. "Well, I guess I could show you some of my homework, and Mama could teach you romanji and numbers during the day, because she doesn't work… yeah! Sure!" She grinned, then sobered. "But you'll hafta hid your ears, fangs, claws, and… well, I think you'll hafta dye your hair. And control your temper. And you'll hafta leave Tetsusaiga at home, Swords aren't allowed."

Inuaysha looked doubtful. "Uh… how about your mom teaches me that other stuff first?"

Kagome grinned. "Sounds good."

Finis

(\ /)

(T.T)

( )

THANKS TO ALL WHO READ, AND ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO LEFT A NOTE OR CRITICISM! FEEDBACK WAS ESSENTIAL HERE!

Lotsa motivational stuff in reviews. I owe all of you. I wouldn't have made it through this without you guys. So, again, THANK YOU!

Okay, I lied. The chapter wasn't fluff-infested. There wasn't enough to gag on.

But I'm thinking of doing a short sequel. Like, between five and ten chapters. Very sketchy. I'm not sure if it's even qualified to be an "idea". I'd hafta figure out a lot of sutff first.

Bad idea?

Good idea?

Tell me whatcha think!


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